meg by dean georgaris...feb 26, 2015 · int. augusta-westland aw101 helicopter - day the voice...

MEG

By

Dean Georgaris

Property of: MEG FILM LLCBelle Avery @ [email protected] Wilson @ [email protected]

2/26/15

EXT. PUDONG SKYLINE - SUNRISE

The silhouette of the majestic Pearl Tower tells us we are in SHANGHAI, just as day breaks. TWO BLACKED-OUT SUVs glide through a city that’s at once both ancient and modern.

The CONVOY passes:

The lights of Nanjing Road, shutting off with the dawn...

Students practicing sunrise Tai Chi along the Huangpu river...

The CONVOY continues past:

Antique vendors on Dongtai Road, setting up for the day’s business...

Eager chefs negotiating with seasoned fishermen for the prize catch at a local fish market...

EXT. THE DONGHAI BRIDGE - CONTINUED

The TWO SUVs cut through a morning fog that gives this bridge the appearance of stretching to infinity...

EXT. YANGSHAN PORT - CONTINUED

The JOURNEY ENDS at one of the world’s busiest ports, where both SUVs come to a STOP, and the RED-CARPET BOARDING STAIRS of an AUGUSTA-WESTLAND AW101 HELICOPTER - the most expensive rotorcraft ever made - beckons all to board.

EXT. HELIPAD, YANGSHUN PORT - MOMENTS LATER

The helicopter lifts off, leaving the port and its off-shore wind turbines behind. And heading out to sea...

EXT. A WHALE WATCHING BOAT - OFF OF HAINAN ISLAND

Tourists, angling to get the best photographs of a pod of whales, HARDLY NOTICE THE HELICOPTER as it speeds by...

EXT. SANYA BAY BEACHES - HAINAN ISLAND

And neither do the sun-worshipping beachgoers, nor the high-spirited water lovers who surf the breaks.

Only a LONE BOY looks up, shielding his eyes from the sun, to admire the HELICOPTER as it speeds by over the lush, tropical isle and heads out INTO THE VAST PACIFIC...

A WOMAN’S VOICE Imagine going to the moon...

EXT. PACIFIC OCEAN - DAY

The Helicopter flies low across the surface of the water. Endless blue as far as the eye can see....

A WOMAN’S VOICE But instead of it being a lifeless void, it was teeming with creatures so exotic, they boggle the mind.

INT. AUGUSTA-WESTLAND AW101 HELICOPTER - DAY

The voice belongs to PRESCA MORRIS, an immaculately dressed, incredibly charismatic businesswoman. She’s speaking to her passengers for the day: EIGHT INTERNATIONAL VIPs -(whose personal fortunes come from American oil money, Mexican telecom, Brazilian Manufacturing, and Indian petrochemicals)

MORRIS (CONT’D)Imagine exploring an alien world, whose scale dwarfs the highest of mountains, the grandest of canyons. Now imagine, instead of this being a fantasy, instead of it being a journey that would take years to complete, you could do it right here, right now. Ladies and Gentlemen, I welcome you, our first outside guests, to Mana-One.

THROUGH THE LARGE CABIN WINDOWS

The VIPs see MANA-ONE, a PLATFORM IN THE MIDDLE OF THE OCEAN. It’s industrial-looking, sits low in the water, and is little more than a wide, square landing area with docks/sub-launching arms protruding from each of its four sides.

TEXAS VIP(disappointed, to his Wife)

That’s it?

EXT. HELICOPTER / EXT. MANA-ONE - MOMENTS LATER

Morris leads the VIPs across the deck, heading for the only visible structure, a BANK OF ELEVATORS, that sticks up on the otherwise flat platform, like some kind of design mistake.

MRS. TEXAS VIP(to Morris)

Obviously, when you get closer to completion, you’re gonna do this up, right?

2.

MORRIS(smiling)

No.

No? Did they hear that right? The ELEVATOR door opens, and if the VIPs thought that the platform was disappointing...

INT. ELEVATOR - CONTINUED

...Then the ELEVATOR takes that to another level. It’s a massive freight lift - the kind you’d find in a garment warehouse. The only clue that there is something more going on here is that Morris is holding out STICKS OF--

MORRISChewing gum, anyone? For your ears. I recommend it. The first time down can be a bit much.

And so this group of people, collectively worth 1/4 of a TRILLION DOLLARS, take sticks of 99-cent chewing gum.

TEXAS VIPAre we on candid camera or something?

Morris selects the “O” floor, using an old-fashion hand-crank selector. DOWN they go. Fast.

MORRISYour ears are popping because, even though the station is normalized, pressure changes underwater are much greater than they are in the air. A Scuba diver, rising from the depth we’re going to, would have to spend hours in a decompression tank or die a painful death. Then again, no scuba diver has ever been as deep as you’re about to be.

They reach the O-level. The elevator stops with a LURCH.

MORRISYour gum?

Morris holds out a CHEAP PLASTIC CONTAINER for those who want to get rid of their gum. That’s the last straw for TEXAS.

TEXAS VIPI’ve got to be honest with you, Ms. Morris. So far I find this whole thing profoundly underwhelming--

3.

--as if on cue the ELEVATOR DOORS OPEN to reveal A HUMPBACK WHALE gliding gracefully by right in front of them. ITS SONG fills the elevator as A SECOND HUMPBACK, a BABY, slides by.

MINWAY ZHANG (O.S.)Then it’s a good thing it’s not the elevator you’re here to see.

DR. MINWAY ZHANG - 60s, but brimming with the enthusiasm of a child, has been waiting for them here on the--

INT. OBSERVATION LEVEL (O-LEVEL) - MANA #1 - DAY

An all-glass world - shaped like a massive horizontal bicycle wheel. Its six “spokes” are corridors, and its “rim” is more than 1/4 mile around in its entirety. The result is a view of sea life in every direction. A 360 degree aquarium called the Pacific Ocean.

MINWAY ZHANGYou are looking at something few people have ever seen. Life 1,000 feet beneath the surface...

Standing next to Zhang, his granddaughter MEIYING, 8, seems to take delight in watching the VIPs’ jaws drop.

ZHANGOn behalf of my granddaughter, Meiying, I welcome you to the Observation Level. A structure designed with the knowledge that nothing man makes will ever compete with the majesty of the sea.

END CREDITS

INT. OBSERVATION LEVEL (O-LEVEL) - MANA #1 - DAY

We WALK with the group as Zhang leads them around a portion of the O-Level. Pausing to point out certain species of sea life as they make appearances outside the glass.

ZHANGMana-one’s location, on the edge of a tectonic shelf, means we get an incredible variety of aquatic life. From something as common as the Bluefin Tuna...

(two 800-lbs glide by)...to something as rare and spectacular as...

...He nods for Meiying to identify what she sees outside:

4.

MEIYING(excited)

An oarfish!

Gasps are heard as the VIPs see AN OARFISH: a 35-ft long silvery ribbon of life with a dragon’s head.

INDIAN VIPThis is incredible, Dr. Zhang.

BRAZILIAN VIPTruly spectacular.

TEXAS VIPHow long ‘til you open up to paying customers?

Zhang looks to Morris. Those details are her department.

MORRISTen months. In addition to this level, we’re building a restaurant we think has the world’s greatest view, a hospital-quality infirmary, and most importantly, a gift shop.

That gets laughs.

ZHANGFor years, I’ve traveled the world, urging people to take better care of the sea. My hope is now, by bringing the world here, the sea will speak for itself.

There is some spontaneous applause for the achievement.

MORRIS(Prompting Zhang)

So, it’s no accident we invited you all here today...

ZHANG...Yes. As you may remember, Mana-One is built where it is to give us access to the deepest reaches of our planet. The Marianas Trench. Nearly seven miles below the surface at its base, the mysteries of the trench hold the keys to a better understanding of the world in which we live. And yet it remains a place mankind has seen less of than the planet Mars. Our

(MORE)

5.

mission is to change that. Right now, as I speak to you, a team of our submersibles, including one piloted by my daughter, is putting the last of our UNIS BOT sensor stations in place, 30,000 feet below us. When powered up, these BOTS will send back images, the likes of which no one has seen before. And we want you, our angel investors, to be with us when we turn them on for the first time.

Now everyone is really jazzed. TEXAS VIP looks at Morris.

TEXAS VIPWell played, little lady. Well played.

WIPE TO:

INT. MANA-1, DIVE CONTROL CENTER - DAY

Zhang, Morris, Meiying and the VIPs emerge from the elevator and find themselves in a Mission-Control like space, known as the DIVE CONTROL CENTER (DCC). A small TEAM OF PERSONNEL (who we’ll get to know) is monitoring every aspect of the current mission into the trench. A dazzling array of video screens shows us everything from the CREW MEMBERS’ VITAL SIGNS, to IMAGES FROM INSIDE THE SUBS, and of course, IMAGES OF WHAT’S OUTSIDE THE SUBS.

A TACTICAL DISPLAY shows a computer representation of the dive going on right now. Two sleek ABYSS GLIDERS (Fastback 1 and Fastback 2) are orbiting at 20,000 feet down, acting like sonar eyes in the sky for the two MULE SUBS (Angel 1 and Angel 2) that are actually in the trench placing the last of the UNIS BOTS into position.

The DIVE OPERATIONS CHIEF, James “MAC” Mackriedes, 30s, rough around the edges, nods ‘hello’ to the VIPs and then resumes what he’s doing.

JAMES “MAC” MACKRIEDES(into a mic)

Angel one, have you got that last bot in position?

ANGEL ONE, the first of the Mules, is captained by JUNJIE Chen and co-piloted by CARL Sheppherd. We see their cockpit on a screen. There’s a delay between the video and audio:

ZHANG (CONT'D)

6.

JUNJIE/ANGEL ONE (RADIO)Standby... Bot is down. Footpad indicators: four greens. Inertial Power Unit: on. Tether: released.

The TACTICAL DISPLAY shows ANGEL ONE is no longer tethered to its UNIS BOT cargo. And that the BOT is well-positioned in the trench. This gets the room excited.

JUNJIE/ANGEL ONE (RADIO)Well everyone, it looks like we owe Dimitri an apology. His stuff might actually work.

He’s referring to DIMITRI Karmanov, the handsome, blue-eyed Russian Engineer who is watching the dive from a seat next to Mac. Mac pats Dimitri on the back. Dimitri is emotionless.

MACFan, let’s go ahead and ping the BOTS so we can start them up.

This to Linfan “FAN” Chang, 24, a marine biologist whose arms are covered in decorative tattoos of mermaids and sea creatures. Fan is Meiying’s favorite team member, (besides her mom and grandpa), so it’s no surprise that Meiying has joined her at the control panel. Fan enters a series of commands on her keyboard.

FANWake-up boys... Give us a smile...

ON TACTICAL

One by one, the two dozen BOTS, which have been placed in tandem along a length of the trench, BEGIN TO BLINK.

FANAll Bots responding. Initial readings - nominal. Ready for power-up on your command.

Fan looks at Mac, but then Mac, and everyone, looks at ZHANG. This moment is the culmination of years of hard work.

ZHANGGo ahead, please.

Dimitri and Fan rapidly execute a series of keystrokes - then reach the final button-push. Fan turns to MEIYING. Let’s push this last button together. As they do, Fan says...

FANLet there be light.

7.

A SERIES OF QUICK CUTS BETWEEN POVS.

1) From Junjie’s and Francois’s MULES (Angel One and Two) - hovering in the trench. They stare into the darkness - but see NOTHING yet.

2) From an ABYSS GLIDER (Fastback One) orbiting above, piloted by SUYIN Zhang -- late 20s, beautiful and brilliant. Suyin looks down out the bottom of her glass cockpit. She sees the faint blinking position lights of the two Mules far below... But NOTHING else.

BACK IN THE DIVE CONTROL CENTER

THE TACTICAL DISPLAY shows all BOTS turning from Red to Green, meaning they should be on... But...

FANNo visuals from BOT cameras. No data either.

Is it possible something isn’t working? Mac looks at Dimitri. Dimitri stares, it will be fine.

MAC(nervous, into the mic)

Angel One, do you have a visual?(static)

Junjie, I say again, do you have a visual?

(static)Suyin, can you see anything from up where you are?

Silence. It’s horrible. Mac is about to speak again when--

JUNJIE/ANGEL ONE (RADIO)--Mana-One, confirmed. The BOTS are working...

JUNJIE’S POV

In the inky black reaches just below him, he now sees a series of BRIGHT WHITE LIGHTS - orbs in the darkness.

JUNJIE/ANGEL ONENot sure our cameras will do them justice. From here it looks like someone dropped the two most beautiful diamond necklaces you ever saw.

8.

SUYIN’S POV

From up here, it almost looks like an airport runway at night. Suyin breaks into a big smile.

SUYINCongratulations, father. You did it.

INT. DIVE CONTROL CENTER

Applause breaks out. Zhang, beaming...

ZHANGWe did it. All of us.

FANAnd we have visuals. Welcome, everyone, to the most exotic place on planet Earth...

The VISUALS begin to explode onto the DCC SCREENS. This is the Marianas Trench as we have never seen it. CORAL TOWERS reach skyward like church spires. ACTIVE VOLCANOES spew plumes of deadly sulfur. And STRANGE, ALIEN CREATURES haunt the waters. Bleach white cephalopods, invertebrates. Then--

--A SCREAM FROM ONE OF THE VIPs WHEN an ANGLER FISH appears on screen, like something out of a nightmare! That gives everyone a good scare. Then more LAUGHS.

ZHANGHave no fear. That Angler Fish is only 6 inches long. And it’s six miles beneath us.

There’s a MOMENT where everyone just marvels at what they see. Is that a tear in ZHANG’S eye? MAC and HELLER embrace. FAN reaches out and surreptitiously SQUEEZES DIMITRI’S HAND - a secret romance between the fiery gal and icy Russian.

PING...

Amidst the celebratory laughs, a lone SONAR PING.

And then another...

PING...

FAN (MIC)Fastbacks One and Two. You guys see that?

9.

INT. FASTBACK ONE - SUYIN - SAME

Suyin looks around. Her glass cockpit has a HEADS-UP DISPLAY projected on it. And sure enough it is picking up SOMETHING moving fast, north to south, high to low, in the TRENCH. The sub’s computer puts a little box around the ‘target’ even though it can’t actually be seen.

SUYINCopy that, Mana-One. I have one... Make that two targets...

More BOXES appear... Indicating more targets... But then some disappear and re-appear... It’s really weird.

SUYINDJ, you picking this up?

INT. FASTBACK TWO - DJ - SAME

“DJ” LAU, late 20s, a guy who exudes ‘cool’ in every way. DJ flips a quarter through the fingers of his left hand, while piloting his ship with his right.

DJMy sonar’s lighting up like a Vegas casino. It’s got to be electrical interference.

INT. FASTBACK ONE - CONTINUED

Suyin can think of one OTHER possibility.

SUYINAngels one and two - suggest ascend 500 meters - there might be a rock slide heading your way.

INT. DIVE CONTROL CENTER - CONTINUED

Rock slide? The smile from Mac’s face vanishes.

FANOur sonar’s picking up nothing. And there’s no indication of seismic activity.

DIMITRI(looks at Mac)

You worry too much. It’s interference, nothing more--

Suddenly -- SMASH -- THERE IS A BLACK SQUARE where one of the BOT CAMERAS’ FEED used to be as the SIGNAL GOES OUT. Then a

10.

SECOND BOT CAMERA goes black. We see that Angler Fish suddenly dart away and then THAT CAMERA TOO GOES BLACK.

INT. ANGEL TWO - CONTINUED

Piloted by FRANCOIS Bernard and his brother, LUC. They are in a hovering orbit, with Junjie’s Mule “Angel One” visible not too far off their starboard side.

They watch as - one by one - THE BOTS vanish into blackness.

FRANCOISMana, Angel Two. We’ve lost visual on the Bots. All of them.

BACK IN THE DIVE CONTROL CENTER

Zhang confers with Mac. Fan and Dimitri pour over some data. Nothing dramatic has happened up here, but the discussion among the staff is enough to make some people wonder:

INDIAN VIP(to Morris)

Is everything okay?

Mac catches wind of that question. Adjusts his tie and screws on the charm.

MACEverything is fine. The test went perfectly. I’ve asked Dimitri to power down the Bots so we could re-position them. Our placement was good, but you know Dr. Zhang, it has to be perfect, so...

Morris, reading Mac, has already called for the Elevator. She jumps in--

MORRIS(to the VIPs)

--So we just want to say thank you, again, for making the trip to be a part of history. Before we take you back to Shanghai, we do still have one very important thing we have to do -- raid that gift shop so no one goes home empty handed.

The VIPs step in the ELEVATOR, the door CLOSES, they’re GONE.

MACThank God the dog and pony show is over because I haven’t cursed in

(MORE)

11.

twenty minutes and I’m starting to worry about what might come out of my mouth. Talk to me, people.

Mac approaches Dimitri, who is hovering over Fan, both watching the computer systems reboot. As Mac arrives he “loosens” his tie. Except Mac’s wearing a clip-on tie - so it comes right off. Fan’s attention turns from the computer screen to Mac’s absurd accessory.

FANIt’s like you just pulled a unicorn off your shirt. I’d heard of clip-on ties, but thought they were an urban legend--

MACYou think my tie is the reason we’re staring at a wall of blank monitors!?

FANHonestly, I’m not prepared to rule it out.

DIMITRI(has the real answer)

The BOTS have been knocked off their moorings. Suyin was right. It must have been a landslide.

ZHANGAre you saying we have to put all the BOTS back in position?

Dimitri nods. That’s a lot of work. Mac turns to Zhang.

MACMaybe we should bring everyone up, start fresh in the morning.

DIMITRISure, the BOTS are only 100 million euros a-piece. Let’s leave them unfastened at the bottom of the trench - what could go wrong?

Mac doesn’t appreciate the sarcasm. But Zhang agrees with Dimitri. As does Fan. As does Mac, when he thinks about it.

MAC (MIC)Good news, gang. You’re going to earn some overtime...

MAC (CONT'D)

12.

ZHANG crosses to HELLER at the MEDICAL MONITORING STATION. They can see the divers’ heart rates, body temperature, etc.

ZHANGDr. Heller, will it be safe for them to stay down there that long?

HELLERThey’re fine. Vitals are normal.

(tries to lighten things)Junjie’s so relaxed, he might actually be asleep.

Zhang smiles. He needed that. He looks over at Meiying.

ZHANGCome on, sweetie, I’ll take you back to your room. Mommy’s going to be down there a while longer.

INT. ANGEL ONE - CONTINUED

Junjie puts his Mule into a descent.

JUNJIE/ANGEL ONE Angel one. Heading back down. Try not to crash into me, Francois. I saw that bottle of Merlot you smuggled on board.


Francois puts his Mule into a descent.

FRANCOIS/ANGEL TWOAngel One, I take offense to that. No Frenchman would risk a dive for a Merlot. Now a good Bordeaux on the other hand...

EXT. WIDE SHOT - TRENCH - CONTINUED

We watch as the TWO MULES plunge into darkness. All is quiet and peaceful UNTIL -- SOME FAST MOVING MASSIVE SHAPE -- glides across the FRAME and we...

CUT TO:

INT. DIVE CONTROL CENTER - A LITTLE LATER

Visual and Data feeds from all four subs are BREAKING UP now. Pictures go FUZZY... Voices sound computer DISTORTED...

13.

MAC (MIC)Angels One and Two, status?

INT. ANGEL TWO

Francois and Luc’s POV as they close in on a Bot. Their search and flood lights illuminating a cone of darkness.

FRANCOISComing up on a Bot. Looks like it was knocked over.

MAC (RADIO)Angel 2, was it a landslide?

MEANWHILE - ABOVE THEM - INT. FASTBACK ONE

Suyin fights to steady her Abyss Glider against the current.

SUYINDJ, current’s picking up. I’m firing starboard anchor.

She flips a switch and...

EXT. FASTBACK ONE - SAME

An ANCHOR shoots out of the right wing-top of Suyin’s Abyss Glider and lodges in the side of the vertical cliff face.

Then WHOOSH -- another anchor goes by and burrows into the solid face -- revealing DJ’S Glider has done the same thing.

BELOW -- we can see the lights of Angel One and Two. Then SOMETHING PASSES OVER THEM - momentarily obscuring our view.

INT. ANGEL ONE - CONTINUED

JUNJIE approaches a Bot. You can BARELY SEE ANYTHING around him. The intense depth causes the HULL TO MOAN AND POP.

JUNJIEThrough 11,000 meters. It’s pea soup down here guys. Something really stirred the sediment up.

FRANCOIS (RADIO)Guys, this BOT is completely caved in.

A bead of sweat rolls down Junjie’s forehead, as his sub anxiously creeps forward inches at a time. Finally, through the haze of sand, the BOT COMES INTO VIEW.

14.

JUNJIEThat’s impossible...

JUNJIE'S POV OF THE BOT -- It’s completely torn apart.


Heller notices Junjie and Carl’s Heart rates begin to RISE...

JUNJIE (RADIO - STATIC)....looks like a bomb... We’re... through the wreckage.... Clues.

Mac turns to Zhang. He’s got a bad feeling about this.

MACDr. Zhang, I suggest we get our people out of there, go back down with an unmanned sub...

INT. ANGEL ONE

Junjie carefully guides his sub over the debris field. WE/THEY can only see inches at a time. Carl points to something that isn’t metallic grey in the wreckage.

It’s a WHITE TRIANGULAR OBJECT, which is partially broken, that is now embedded in the side of the UNIS BOT.

JUNJIE There’s something in the bot.


Mac continues his plea.

MACWhen I hear talk of an explosion--

DIMITRIThere is nothing explosive down there.

MAC--I don’t think Junjie is making it up, do you? Something happened.

INT. ANGEL ONE

The MYSTERIOUS OBJECT becomes more clear... There isn’t just ONE TRIANGLE. There are four, five, six...

JUNJIEOh my God...

15.

Junjie and Carl are transfixed by a row of GIANT TEETH.


Heller sees the HEART RATES of Junjie and Carl jump.

HELLER (MIC)Junjie, I’m seeing major spikes for you and Carl - are you okay?

They get no immediate answer - so Mac makes a decision.

MAC (MIC)This is Mana-One - code BUSTER. All vehicles commence ascent now.

INT. FASTBACK ONE

Suyin realizes the Mules can’t hear Mac. She relays:

SUYINAngels one and two, code Buster. We’re getting out of here.

INT. ANGEL ONE

Carl and Junjie - transfixed by the sight of the teeth.

CARLYeah. I think that’s a swell idea--

--In less than a tenth of a second, SOMETHING hits Angel One with the force of a FREIGHT TRAIN. The sub IMPLODES, killing Junjie and Carl instantly!


And sending flat lines to Heller’s readings.

HELLERI’ve lost them!

FAN(looking on tactical)

So have I...

Mac’s radio calls to Angel One play over:


Francois and Luc are rising from the trench when suddenly Luc sees a SHADOW approaching and WHAM--

16.


--Contact with Francois and Luc is lost. The DCC is in chaos.


Suyin can hear Mac’s frantic radio calls for Angels One and Two. She’s getting very worried now.

SUYINAngel One this is Fastback, over. Junjie, talk to me. Angel Two...

Then... PING - PING. Suyin’s sonar begins to identify MULTIPLE TARGETS COMING UP AT HER FROM BELOW.

DJ (RADIO)Suyin, I’ve got multiple targets, directly below and rising fast.

SUYINAngel One, Angel Two, come in...

DJ (RADIO)Suyin, do you hear me? We’ve got to get out of here. Now!

INT. FASTBACK TWO - CONTINUED

PING - PING - PING - as the targets get closer, the pitch of the PINGS increases and the volume gets louder. DJ cuts away his sub’s anchor - but sees Suyin hasn’t done the same.

DJCut away or you’ll be killed!

SUYIN (RADIO)You want to run, run, but I’m not leaving them...

DJ(to himself)

Yes, you are...

EXT. OCEAN - CONTINUED

In an INCREDIBLE DISPLAY OF PILOTING SKILL, DJ uses the wings of his Abyss Glider to BREAK SUYIN’S ANCHOR LINE.


Suyin - furious -

17.

SUYIN DJ, you son of a--

--BAM! BAM! BAM! Suyin doesn’t get to finish that thought because she’s hit by RISING DEBRIS FROM JUNJIE’S SUB. Instantly, her craft is damaged. Leaks spring. She begins to lose air pressure. ALARMS sound everywhere.

INT. FASTBACK TWO - CONTINUED

DJ hasn’t fared much better. He can see systems failing. He flips dozens of switches from memory as he radios a report:

DJMana-One, this is Fastback One in the blind. Both subs have been damaged, pressure vessel failing, commencing emergency ascent.

He opens a glass panel and FLIPS a switch which turns the ABYSS GLIDER into a craft as buoyant as an air balloon.


Through the cracking cockpit glass over her head, Suyin sees DJ’s Abyss Glider begin to ascend. She reaches for the same panel he used.... And flips it.

SHE/WE HEAR - a muffled explosion. A compressed gas cannister has inflated her emergency ascent buoys. Her sub rises like a missile.


Heller barks orders as he runs for the emergency lift.

HELLERHave the decompression chamber pressurized for 7,000 meters and get all hands to the starboard quarter for retrieval.

QUICK CUTS BETWEEN INT. FASTBACK ONE / INT. FASTBACK TWO

DJ and Suyin struggle to stay conscious and help guide their subs to the surface. The pressure and rapid ascent threaten to rip their vehicles apart. And the pain is excruciating.

INT. MANA-ONE DECOMPRESSION TANK

Heller leads a staff of med-techs prepping the decomp tank.

18.

EXT. UNDERNEATH THE MANA-ONE

DIVERS drop into the sea below. They will meet the subs and lock the hydraulic arms into position.

INT. FASTBACK ONE

We stay close on Suyin as she fades out of consciousness. Her cabin is a cacophony of system alarms and warning lights.

POV SUYIN

The pressure shift attacks Suyin’s hold on reality. Her POV becomes increasingly surreal as she closes in on the Mana-One. The ship lights reflect on her sub window, blinding and heavenly. We are losing her. Her only connection to the world those deafening warning bells. She’s surfaced but doesn’t know it. Masked faces come into frame, an alien intrusion into her fever dream.

TO BLACK:

IN BLACK - we HEAR tap tap tap... tap tap tap...

INT. DECOMPRESSION CHAMBER - A LITTLE LATER

Suyin AWAKES with a start. She looks around. DJ is with her. And tap tap tap - Meiying is signalling to her on the glass window of the decompression chamber hatch.

SUYINHi, sweetie!

They can’t hear each other, so they communicate by touching hands on the glass.

SUYIN(without turning to DJ, asks)

Junjie and Carl?

DJNo. But Francois and Luc are okay.

INT. DIVE CONTROL CENTER - SAME

Dimitri and Fan are pouring over schematics of the MULE SUB as Mac talks with Francois...

MAC (MIC)And you tried isolating Bus-B?

INT. ANGEL TWO - STUCK ON THE BOTTOM - SAME

Luc looks at Francois. Nods, he tried it.

19.

FRANCOISOur engines are fried, Mac. Air pressure’s good. Hull integrity is good. But I’m afraid you’re going to have to come get us.

ZHANG (RADIO)Any guess as to what hit you?

FRANCOISDo they have freight trains down here?

INT. ZHANG’S PRIVATE OFFICE - MANA ONE

Zhang, Heller, and Mac discuss their options.

ZHANGHow much air do they have?

HELLER24 hours. That’s more than enough.

MACDimitri needs five hours to repair the Abyss Gliders. Suyin and DJ can’t leave decomp for six - so I’m setting the dive for 1700 hours.

Off their nods...

MACWhich gives us time to get a pilot for Angel 3. The best rescue diver on the planet is in Lufeng...

HELLER..You can’t be serious...

MAC...We need him.

All three of them know who Mac means.

HELLERMac, I appreciate your loyalty, but do I have to remind you what happened the last time he went this deep?

MACI don’t know what happened. And neither do you.

20.

HELLERHe had a psychotic episode under pressure--

MAC--That was your explanation, doctor. Not his.

HELLERWell - the Navy agreed with me.

MACBecause it gave them a scapegoat. It let them close the books on bad mission and move on.

(to Zhang)Dr. Zhang, a rescue like this, even with the best equipment in the world, is risky. If it’s me down there, if it’s my daughter going down there, there’s only one man on the planet I want for the job.

EXT. DINOSAUR VALLEY - LUFENG - DAY

Wind whips across the arid ochre mesas of the Lufeng Quarry. We hear the sound of PICK-AXES. Then the delicate sound OF BRUSH STROKES as A PhD CANDIDATE IN MARINE BIOLOGY carefully tries to separate what is fossil from what is Earth.

JONAS TAYLOR (O.S.)You don’t have to be so delicate...

The Candidate’s Professor - JONAS TAYLOR, 30s, USN-Retired, takes his student’s tools and demonstrates a quicker method. Quizzing the girl as he goes...

JONASHave you identified the fossil?

The Candidate stares at him. He’s her professor, he’s also rugged and gorgeous and tends to leave people tongue-tied.

JONASCarcharocles...

PHD CANDIDATE...Carcharocles Megaladon.

JONASGood, and have you measured it?

PHD CANDIDATEEight centimeters...

21.

JONASWhich means...

PHD CANDIDATEIt was from a juvenile, 10-12 meters in length.

JONASVery good. But the fact that it is black, fully carbonized, also means...

He swings his hand axe at it... Clank... Nothing happens.

JONASYou couldn’t break it if you tried.

He gives her a friendly wink, she laughs, and he walks off. WE WIDEN -- to see this is a permanent Archeological Dig funded by the DEEP SEA CENTER AT TIANJIN.

INT. TRAILER - CONTINUED

Jonas stares off into the magnificent vista, as A TEACHING ASSISTANT hands him some papers to look through.

TEACHING ASSISTANTLooking forward to getting back to Tianjin, Professor?

JONASI do love these two weeks in the quarry, but a new semester means fresh minds to open to all the amazing realities of our world.

TEACHING ASSISTANTYou mean ‘possibilities’, right?

JONAS65 million years ago, this whole region was underwater. And those fossils out there were alive. Sure, the water has receded. But what makes you think the ocean itself has changed?

The conversation trails off because of the sound of an arriving helicopter.

JONASWe expecting guests?

22.

The TA shakes his head. He goes to check a clip-board. Jonas sees Mac, Heller, and Zhang get out.

TEACHING ASSISTANTThere’s nothing on the schedule...

The TA looks up - realizes he’s talking to an empty trailer.

EXT. EXCAVATION SITE - CONTINUED

Jonas gives Mac a big hug.

MACHow are you, Captain?

JONASBetter than you, Mac, judging by the looks of you.

ZHANGCaptain Taylor, I’m--

JONASI know who you are Dr. Zhang. It’s an honor and a privilege.

Last, but not least, is a rather sheepish Heller.

HELLERHello, Jonas.

JONAS Hey there, Tom.

POW - Jonas punches Heller in the face. Heller goes down.

MAC(deadpan)

That actually went better than I expected.

INT. TRAILER - A LITTLE LATER

Jonas looks through screen grabs taken from the video feeds off of Junjie’s sub and the UNIS BOTs.

JONAS How long after the BOTs were activated did you lose them?

MACMaybe five minutes.

23.

JONASAnd where were you, exactly?

Mac shows him on the chart. Jonas gives Mac a look.

JONASYou went back there?

ZHANGIt was my decision. That part of the trench has never been explored, its combination of depth and expanse make it--

JONASThe last great unknown on Earth. Yeah, I’ve heard that before. It’s why the Navy had the Chesapeake doing maneuvers down there. It’s why they had to send me in to rescue her men when she was mysteriously disabled. And it’s why this guy blamed me when everyone died!

HELLERI didn’t blame you. I simply said that your after-action report, claiming you had been attacked by something down there, was likely the result of hypoxic dementia--

JONASAfter which I was court-martialed, black-balled from every diving operation in the world, and now receive a steady supply of hate mail from widows who think I’m the reason those men are gone.

MACLook, Jonas. I’m not a past or future guy. I’m present tense. I’ve got two crew members sitting down there--

JONASAnd who are you going to send for their rescuers when they get taken out too?

ZHANGCaptain, I’ve read your account of what happened to you. Before today,

(MORE)

24.

I wouldn’t have given credence to your theories. But now... Now, two of my friends are dead. And my daughter is only alive by providence. I’m here, we’re here, because you give us the best chance of not adding any more friends to that list.

Jonas looks out at the field of fossils. We don’t see what he’s looking at, but we know he’s made up his mind.

HELLERThink of it as a chance to prove me wrong.

JONAS(looks at Heller a beat)

Don’t you get it? I don’t want you to be wrong.

Jonas walks out. They realize he’s heading for the helicopter. That’s good news.

INT. HELICOPTER - DAY

All four of them are seated, the machine is about to lift off. Heller stares at a SCREEN CAPTURE PHOTO in Mac’s hands.

HELLERYou really think there’s something down there that could do that?

Meaning, the BOT - torn in half. Mac looks OUT THE WINDOW.

MACAs a matter of fact, I do...

Heller turns, and as the chopper lifts off, we REVEAL THE DIG SITE IN FULL... And there, in the ochre canyon walls, is a SET OF JAWS SO BIG that eight grad students - standing side by side - fit comfortably in its width. We HOLD on it and--

WIPE TO:

EXT. MANA ONE - NIGHT

The helicopter has landed. Mac and Jonas have split off from the other two. They walk across the platform with purpose, Jonas’s attention drawn to the state-of-the-art subs. He eyeballs them, impressed. Very impressed.

MACWe dive in one hour.

ZHANG (CONT'D)

25.

JONASWhy wait that long?

MACFor starters, your two dive mates are in decomp...

MAC INDICATES THE DECOMPRESSION TANK IN THE DISTANCE where Meiying is sitting outside ‘talking’ with her mom.

JONASThat’s comforting.

Mac and Jonas then DESCEND a stair, unaware that MEIYING, having seen them, has decided to follow them.

EXT. MANA ONE - CONTINUED

Meiying watches from a distance as Mac and Jonas inspect SUYIN’S ABYSS GLIDER up on a hydraulic lift. DIMITRI and FAN are replacing the last of the damaged parts. Quick intros--

MACJonas Taylor - Dimitri Karmanov -Linfan Chang.

(asks Dimitri)So, what’s the verdict?

DIMITRI(furrowed brow)

Suyin took a direct hit from a large piece of debris. The pressure lines were cut. There was damage to the sensor array. The entire Nav was smashed--

MAC--Stop. Are you doing that thing where you tell me how bad it is, then tell me you managed to fix it, so you look like a hero?

That hangs there a beat.

DIMITRINo. I’m telling you it’s fixed.

(beat, deadpan)Whether that makes me a hero or not is for others to decide.

As Jonas and Mac walk away...

JONASI like him.

26.

INT. MANA ONE - CORRIDOR - CONTINUED

Meiying follows Jonas and Mac as they run into:

MORRISCaptain Taylor, I’m Presca Morris, one of the financial partners in Mana-One. I was looking up your records, and, well, all I found were records. Most dives below 20,0000 feet, most rescues in the history of the Navy, the list went on and on... Needless to say, I’m very glad you’re with us.

JONASThank you, ma’am.

As they walk off...

MACSee, I told you I said good things.

INT. SPARE LIVING QUARTERS - CONTINUED

Mac shows Jonas the simple stateroom. A bed, a bathroom...

MACJumpsuit in the closet. You know the drill.

JONASI do...

(sees something)Although I’m not sure what to do with this...

MEIYING is standing in the doorway.

MACMeiying, are you spying on us?This is Zhang’s grand-daughter.

JONASHi, Meiying. I’m Jonas.

MEIYINGThe crazy one.

Jonas looks at Mac.

JONASWell, I see my reputation precedes me. Who said that?

27.

MEIYINGMy mom, when grandpa told her you were coming. DJ, Dr. Heller...

MAC...I’m out of here...

JONASYeah, I bet you are...

Mac EXITS, leaving Jonas and Meiying alone. Jonas gets a kick out of the little girl’s moxie.

JONASI’m not crazy. It’s just -- I’ve seen things no one else has.

MEIYINGThat’s the definition of crazy.

JONAS(laughs)

You’re tough.

MEIYINGTitanium.

JONASTitanium? Wow, I’ve never met a girl made of titanium. I’ve dated a few made of ice but...

Jonas goes to squeeze Meiying’s biceps, which she’s offering as proof of her strength.

JONASThose are some guns you’ve got--

SUYIN (ARRIVING)(in Mandarin)

Meiying come here now.

Meiying retreats to her mom’s side. Suyin, liberated from Decomp, is there in the doorway with DJ.

JONASYou must be Suyin. And DJ--

SUYIN--Briefing starts in ten minutes.

With that Suyin and Meiying are gone, leaving DJ to follow a beat later after a shrug.

28.

INT. DIVE CONTROL CENTER - A FEW MINUTES LATER

The ENTIRE TEAM are pouring over charts of the Marianas Trench. There is a vast deep basin in the heart of it, labeled “SIREN’S VOID”. Mac is marking a position.

MACFrom what Francois described, best guess is he’s along this ridge here, about 2,000 yards from...

Mac taps a RED CIRCLE on the chart.

MAC (CONT’D)...This thermal vent. Dimitri’s run the numbers, and with Angel 2’s fuel tanks emptied, she’s light enough for the three of you to tow to the surface--

JONASSend me first.

Off their looks.

JONASSend me, alone, in the Mule. Let me see if I can do a hatch-to-hatch...

SUYINNo...

JONASIf the hatch is blocked, then the two of you can come down to tow...

SUYINOkay, first of all, your method will waste hours...

JONASBut put less lives at risk...

SUYINSecond, I notice you picked yourself to be the lone diver, in spite of...

JONAS...In spite of the time off, yes. I have the most experience...

29.

SUYIN...I was going to say, in spite of the fact that on your last rescue everyone else was killed.

That hangs there a beat.

JONASThey were killed because they didn’t listen to me. And there’s not a day goes by that I don’t think about how they could have made it if they believed what I was telling them...

SUYIN...Are we sure we want him with us...

JONAS...But, no, they were convinced it had to be a landslide.

Landslide. The word hangs there. Suddenly, all is quiet.

JONASI don’t blame them. I thought that at first too. I mean, what else could show up on the sonar like that? What else could tear open metal like it was tin? You don’t think about the fact that this ‘landslide’ isn’t triggering any readings on the seismograph. You don’t say to yourself - this is the most accurate, lethal, guided landslide in the 4 billion year history of geology. Because what else could it be, right?

After a long silence.

JONASLet me go, alone--

ZHANGNo one appreciates your expertise more than I do, but this is our operation, we’re doing it as planned. Is that a problem?

Jonas considers it - looks at Mac.

30.

JONASI sincerely hope not.

DJSays the Monster Hunter.

JONAS You think I’m hunting whatever is down there?

(beat)It’s hunting us.

EXT. SUBMERSIBLE LOADING STATION - NIGHT

Carbon fiber and titanium gleam under the Kleig lights. SUYIN AND DJ inspect their Abyss Gliders. JONAS stares at the open hatch of his Mule. He seems HESITANT.

MAC (ARRIVING)`The results of the popularity contest are in. You didn’t win.

JONAS(looking at Suyin and DJ)

I don’t care if they like me. Will they listen to me?

MACZhang’s daughter is tough, but remember she just lost two friends--

JONASWill - they - listen?

MAC(nods, yes)

They’re the two best sub pilots on the planet that aren’t named you. They’ve got ice in their veins and years of experience...

Mac’s voice trails off because he and Jonas are now distracted by THE SIGHT OF DJ, kneeling in front of Fastback 2, holding a small bundle of BURNING SAGE towards the hatch.

MACYeah. Um. That’s white sage. Something to do with the clearing of negative energies.

(beat)You want me to ask him to stop?

31.

JONAS(droll)

I want you to ask him for more.

Jonas notices Meiying, who is with Suyin, waving at him...

JONASAt least somebody likes me.

Jonas waves back.

DIMITRI (PRE-LAP/RADIO)Fastbacks clear for drop.In ten, nine, eight...

INT. JONAS’S MULE SUB - “ANGEL THREE” - NIGHT

CLOSE ON Jonas -- as his Mule is LOWERED into the water. He can see the Abyss Gliders (Fastback 1 and 2), on either side of him, held in angled chutes on the sides of the station. Their launch will be dynamic. Jonas’s is more traditional.

DIMITRI (RADIO)Seven, six, five, four...

The OCEAN swallows Angel Three.

INT. FASTBACK 1 - SUYIN

A deep breath from Suyin as she reaches for the drop handle--

DIMITRI (RADIO)Three, two, one... Release.

--And pulls it. The Abyss Glider PLUMMETS into the ocean, cutting through the surface like an Olympic diver.

INT. FASTBACK 2 - DJ

DJ’s Abyss Glider PIERCES the sea with tremendous momentum and a slight roll. DJ tilts his control stick. His ship responds instantly, stopping itself, and establishing a hover a few meters below the surface.

INT. ANGEL 3 - JONAS

Unlike DJ and Suyin, it’s taking Jonas a few moments to get positive control over his sub and establish it as stable.

SUYIN (RADIO)You need a minute there, Jonas?

DJ (RADIO)Yeah. You look a little seasick.

32.

Jonas settling in - remembering the feel of being at sea.

JONASMock all you want. You two have the Ferraris, I’m in the mule.

INT. DCC - CONTINUED

FAN has the dive up on TACTICAL DISPLAY. HELLER has all their vitals on screen. DIMITRI and ZHANG are at the planning table, and MAC (with Morris behind him) is at the center of it all.

MAC (MIC)Rescue One, commence descent.

INT. FASTBACK ONE - SUYIN

Suyin pushes her control stick forward and smoothly accelerates away from the surface.

SUYIN Francois, we’re on our way...

EXT. UNDERWATER - NIGHT

The three subs, in formation, DISAPPEAR into the depths.

DISSOLVE TO:

INT. DCC - LATER

Almost two hours have gone by on the MISSION CLOCK. Tactical shows the THREE SUBS are at nearly 6,000 meters below the sea, and approaching a LAYER that’s marked “THERMOCLINE”.

FAN (MIC)Rescue One, approaching Thermocline.

MORRISWhat’s the thermocline?

ZHANGIt’s a dense layer of cold water that separates the upper ocean from the deep sea.

QUICK CUTS BETWEEN FASTBACKS ONE AND TWO

DJ and Suyin move reflexively. Flipping switches and tightening their harnesses.

33.

SUYIN Heaters to full. Autostabilizers to on. Harness secure.

Suyin BEGINS TO EXPERIENCE TURBULENCE. She reads a gauge.

SUYINEntering thermocline. Sea temp now 39 and dropping.

INT. ANGEL THREE - JONAS

Jonas is getting bounced around harder. But that’s not the problem. The problem is it’s starting to FREEZE in here.

JONASMana, I’m showing a fault in the heating system. Can you confirm?

SUYIN (RADIO)Need us to tell you where the ‘on’ switch is, Jonas?


Fan confirms what Jonas sees.

FAN (MIC)Jonas, we see the fault. Try re-cycling the system.


Jonas exhales, we can see frost on his breath. Re-cycle the system? That’s going to require him pulling out a checklist.

DJ (RADIO)Just follow my lead, man.

JONASDJ, I’m not in the mood--

INT. FASTBACK TWO - DJ

DJ isn’t teasing him.

DJMy temp gauge hasn’t gone below 48 and my ride is smooth as glass.


Mac is about to tell Fan to check that but she already has.

34.

FAN(turns to Mac)

He’s right. Looks like DJ has found some kind of warm water upcurrent through the thermocline.

(looks at Zhang)Have you ever heard of that?

ZHANGNo. The thermocline is a wall.

MACYeah well, there’s a hole in this wall, and if you don’t mind, I’d like to send our team through it so Jonas doesn’t freeze to death.

FAN (MIC)Jonas, good news. You can put down the checklist...


Jonas tosses the checklist aside.

FAN (RADIO)Come to 270 and then shadow DJ, he’s found a smoother ride. Suyin, suggest you do the same.


Suyin corrects her course.

SUYIN Nice job, DJ.

DJ (RADIO)Totally all skill on my part.


Jonas feels the ride smooth out, and sees his SEA TEMP GAUGE rise. The frost inside his cabin begins to thaw.

JONASI’ve found the channel. I’m going to power down and enjoy the ride...

Jonas flips a bunch of switches, KILLING ALL OF HIS EXTERIOR LIGHTS, plunging him into darkness.

35.


Suyin is a few hundred meters above/behind Jonas.

SUYINAngel Three, did you just kill your lights?

JONAS (RADIO)Affirmative.

SUYINYou feel like telling us why?

JONAS (RADIO)See for yourself.

Suyin, annoyed, decides to go ahead. She kills her lights, finds herself in darkness. She’s about to get mad when...

HER FASTBACK is suddenly illuminated by COLORFUL BIOLUMINESCENT LIGHTS from outside. It’s dazzling.


DJ, in near total darkness, is already enjoying the show.

DJOk, I’m not gonna lie. This is awesome.

The warm water channel is filled with tiny plankton and algae that LIGHT UP when agitated, meaning DJ is leaving a trail of bioluminescent light in his wake...


For a few moments, Jonas just sits there, marvelling...

JONASIt’s good to be home.

EXT. DEEP SEA - CONTINUED

The three of them descend, like rainbow-tailed comets, through the inky blackness...

DISSOLVE TO:

INT. DCC - LATER

TACTICAL now shows all three subs passing 10,000 meters.

36.

FAN (MIC)Rescue 1, approaching bottom.

QUICK CUTS BETWEEN FASTBACK ONE AND TWO

As both SUYIN and DJ power back up...

INT. ANGEL THREE - SAME

Jonas is more reluctant to turn everything back on.

JONASFastback one, suggest we keep power to minimal. No need to tell the whole world we’re here.

SUYIN (RADIO)Negative, Angel Three. This is a rescue, we want all systems on.

JONASLook, I just think we want to keep a low profile--

FRANCOIS (RADIO)Did somebody say rescue?


Francois and Luc can see the position and search lights of the three rescue subs in the distance.

FRANCOIS (CONT’D)Cause that’s the word the of the day here at Chez Francois. You’ve each won a free dinner!


Suyin is thrilled to report.

SUYINMana-One. We’ve found them!


Morris and Zhang greatly relieved. Dimitri satisfied with his work. Fan squeezes his hand.

MACLet’s save the celebrating for when they’re back please.

37.


Jonas watches as Suyin accelerates by him to join DJ in approaching the sub.

SUYIN (RADIO)Jonas, we’ll secure our tow lines first, then you do the heavy lifting.


Francois and Luc can see Fastbacks One and Two getting closer. Everything is great until A LONG SHADOW passes between them and the rescue subs.

FRANCOISGuys... Did you see that?


Jonas’s SONAR comes to life... PING... PING...

JONASTarget, bearing 120...


DJ checks his sonar. It’s PINGING. His HEADS-UP display has put squares on multiple points in the darkness...

DJI’ve got it too, multiple bogeys...

SUYIN (RADIO)Then let’s hurry this up.


Suyin takes her sub down a little faster and THROWS ON HER FLOOD LIGHTS illuminating the dark...

JONAS (RADIO)Fastback, that is a bad idea--

Suyin reaches the bottom. Her engines KICK UP THE SAND --

SUYINDammit...

-- creating an undersea FOG that, because of the lack of current, just hangs there, obscuring everything.

38.

SUYINI’ve lost all visibility. Repeat, lost all visibility...

She gets occasional glimpses of clear water in between thick patches of cloudy sand. SOMETHING passes by in the darkness.

SUYIN(stunned)

There’s something down here.


DJ gets a glimpse of SOMETHING too.

DJI see it!

But it is gone as quickly as it was there.

DJWhy aren’t we getting it on sonar?!

JONAS (RADIO)The sand fog’s made the sonar useless...


As all three pilots are now talking over one another.

DJ (RADIO)Mana-One, we are NOT alone down here, repeat, not alone...

JONAS (RADIO)You both need to pull back...

SUYIN (RADIO)Negative, I’m attaching my tow-line to Angel Two. DJ, standby...


Suyin centers ANGEL TWO in her sights and FIRES her tow-line. Whooosh - a thin, magnetic-tipped length of wire shoots off into the darkness towards ANGEL TWO but... THUNK... IT HITS SOMETHING ELSE FIRST and falls to the sea floor.

SUYINWhat the...?

--WHAM!! SOMETHING MASSIVE hits Fastback One. It’s a glancing blow but it sends it SPINNING OUT OF CONTROL.

39.


DJ is in thick sand fog when he suddenly finds himself face to face with FASTBACK ONE as Suyin finally regains control.

DJSuyin, are you oka--

BAM, now it’s DJ’s turn to be hit by something. He spins...


Heller watches as SUYIN AND DJ’S pulses soar into the 160s as both can be heard SHOUTING STATUS reports over the radio.

DJI’ve been hit. I’m okay...!

SUYINMana-One, we are totally defensive, unknown contacts...!

JONAS’S PULSE is steady. And that’s because...

INT. ANGEL THREE - CONTINUED

Jonas makes a choice. He slams the throttle forward.

JONASAngel Two, forget about the tow. Prepare for hatch-to-hatch!

EXT. OCEAN - NIGHT

Angel Three plunges fearlessly through the zero visibility.

EXT. ANGEL THREE - ANGEL TWO

Jonas deftly rolls his sub on its side, aligning its hatch with Angel Two’s hatch.

JONAS (RADIO)Standby for docking!

The two hatches meet with a THUD that reverberates into the darkness at the speed of sound. It travels out past the fastback subs, into the black, where SOMETHING REACTS to it.


Ping. Suyin looks down. A clear target on passive sonar.

40.

SUYIN (MIC)Angel Three. Single target. 2000 yards. Bearing. Right at you!


Jonas powers up to create a seal between hatches.

JONAS Guys, let’s go. I’m not sure we’ve got a lot of time.

INT. ANGEL TWO / ANGEL THREE

Francois and Luc work fast on their end.


Where everyone can only listen.

SUYIN (RADIO)Angel Three, 1200 yards... A thousand...!

INT. ANGEL TWO / ANGEL THREE

Francois unseals his upper hatch and opens it. After some residual water falls out, he is safe to climb through to the hatch of the Angel Three.

SUYIN (RADIO)Coming up on 800 yards, you need to get out of there!

As Luc preps the ship for evac, HE SUDDENLY SEES SOMETHING out the sub window that stops him in his tracks...

FRANCOISCome on, Luc! Come on!

....a vague bioluminescent trail behind some otherwise invisible beast that’s coming right at them.

SUYIN (RADIO)600 yards... 400 yards!

Luc knows there’s no time. He closes his hatch and--

FRANCOISNO!

41.

INT. ANGEL TWO - NOW SEPARATE

Luc BLOWS the lock, detaching violently from Angel Three. And not a moment too soon. Because...

...BAM! Angel Two is smashed into oblivion by something 70-feet long and moving at more than 50 miles per hour.


Suyin feels the vibrations of the terrible collision.

SUYINAngel Three, come in?! Angel Three...

As she waits for a reply, PING... PING... Suyin’s sonar tells her the mysterious monster is now coming for her and DJ.

INT. ANGEL THREE - JONAS AND FRANCOIS

Sparks explode inside the main cabin as Jonas and Francois recover from the partial impact. The only light comes intermittently from the flashing red alarms blaring.

JONASThis is Angel Three, we lost Luc. You both need to power down now!


PING... PING.... DJ realizes they don’t have much time.

JONAS (RADIO)It’s drawn to energy. You need to go dark!

SUYIN (RADIO)--But we’ll be sitting ducks!--

DJThat’s better than dead ducks!

DJ’s turns off EVERYTHING that sends out a signal, including lights. That leaves only the PINGING of his passive sonar, which gets faster as whatever is out there closes in.


Suyin now sits in the dark too. As the PINGING becomes frantic, she stares out into the inky sea and takes her hands away from the controls. She braces for impact as SWOOOOOSH!! SOMETHING MASSIVE HURTLES JUST PAST HER...

42.


DJ feels it go by too... Then, he exhales. He’s alive. For now. But the PINGING of his sonar now reveals that:

DJIt’s circling us.


Mac and his team, desperate to help.

DIMITRI (MIC)Use your infrared, you should be able to see and not be seen.


Suyin turns on the sub’s infrared lights and pulls down a visor...

HER POV -- It’s similar to night vision, a world in black and green. Suyin can see the distant outline of the trench wall, she can see DJ’s sub, and she can see A BLUR OF MOVEMENT which leaves in its wake a random trail of bioluminescence.

SUYINI don’t think seeing is going to help much. Any other ideas, Mana?


DJ, scared, has also gone to infrared. The first thing he sees is the SHAPE of Suyin’s Abyss Glider. So fish-like.

DJHere’s an idea. Dimitri, the next time you design a sub, maybe don’t make it look like the catch of the day!

Then DJ freezes...

HIS INFRARED POV -- A GIANT SQUID, with a body twenty feet long and tentacles measuring out to more than a hundred, is now floating right in between him and Suyin.

DJSuyin...


Suyin turns and sees the monster. They seem totally helpless against the mighty Kraken, which is now advancing menacingly.

43.

--UNTIL -- WHAM -- THE GIANT SQUID IS TORN IN HALF in one violent attack by A MEGALADON.

QUICK CUTS BETWEEN THE DCC AND ANGEL THREE

As they hear screams and want to know...

MAC (MIC)Is everybody okay?


Suyin has ripped off the goggles.

SUYINIt’s a shark.


Jonas hears exactly what he was hoping he wouldn’t hear...

SUYIN (RADIO)Huge. 60 feet. Maybe more.

JONAS(to himself)

Carcharocles Megaladon.


Everyone takes a beat to process the news.

SUYIN (RADIO)It ripped a giant squid right in half.


DJ was even closer to the mauling. He’s actually drifting through what’s left of the squid.

DJYeah. And I say we get out of here before it get gets hungry again!

DJ starts to power up when--

JONAS (RADIO)No, DJ. Don’t. If you power on, it will come for you. You have to surface without using your engines.

44.


Suyin shakes her head to no one.

SUYINWe’re too deep, Jonas. We need our engines to climb from down here. We’re at zero ballast.

As if to emphasize the danger, SOMETHING speeds by in the darkness, ROCKING THE TWO FASTBACKS IN ITS WAKE.


Jonas looks at Francois - is she right? Francois nods, yes.

FRANCOISMules have standard ballast tanks, but not the fastbacks. This deep, they have to power up--

JONASIf they power up - they’re fish food!

FRANCOIS They’re already fish food! We need to get them off the menu!

Jonas gets an IDEA. He keys the mic.

JONAS (MIC)What about the thermal vent?


Suyin understands the plan the minute she hears it...

JONAS (RADIO)That upcurrent of warm water we rode down. That could carry you up a few thousand meters without you needing power.


DJ wants to be hopeful but...

DJI don’t mean to be a downer but that vent is a mile from here and I don’t think paddling is an option.

45.


Jonas is one step ahead of them. He turns to Francois.

JONASDoes this thing have flares?

FRANCOISWhy don’t I like that question?


Everyone, desperate for ideas, when they hear Jonas’ plan:

JONAS (RADIO)Fastbacks one and two, when I tell you to, I want you to both power up and go flank speed for the vents.

Looks are exchanged. What’s Jonas doing?

JONAS (RADIO)Mana, can you give them a bearing to that vent please?

FAN (MIC)0-5-0.

QUICK CUTS BETWEEN THE FASTBACKS - DJ AND SUYIN

DJ and Suyin are dialing in 050 but--

SUYINJonas, what about the shark?


Jonas trims the last of the ballast trim tabs. He and Francois are ready to do whatever it is they’re about to do.

JONAS It’ll be pre-occupied. With us.

FRANCOIS(to Jonas, droll)

I just want to say this has officially stopped feeling like a rescue.

Jonas smiles. Francois nods back. And...

JONASNOW!

46.


Suyin can suddenly see a bloom of white as -- FWOOMP! -- The BRIGHT LIGHTS of Angel Three shatter the darkness like an undersea North Star. Suyin is jostled by the WAKE of SOMETHING MASSIVE OVERHEAD. It completely eclipses the Angel Three, taking seconds, that feel like minutes, to pass, until even in the darkness, she makes out the unmistakable shape of an ENORMOUS TAIL FIN snapping right in front of her.

SUYINOh my God.

The invisible beast heads for Angel Three.

SUYINAngel Three, it’s coming to you!

JONAS (RADIO)Head for the vent! Go!


DJ and SUYIN both power up and race for the vent.

SUYINRange to vent... 1500 meters.


Francois and Jonas can see the Two Abyss Gliders race for the vent as the bioluminescent storm that is the MEG heads straight for the Mule.

JONASThat’s it. Come on...


DJ peering into the darkness with his Infrared Visor. It’s like flying at night... We can tell they’re moving very fast.

SUYIN (RADIO)1000 meters!


Everyone is on the edge of their seat...

FANYou think this will work?

Mac indicates Jonas’s pulse. Which is steady.

47.

MACHe does. So I do too.


Francois is getting nervous, but Jonas remains calm...

SUYIN (RADIO)600 meters!


Using Infrared, Suyin can see THE THERMAL VENT AHEAD...

SUYINVent in sight!


DJ sees it too. Then suddenly a TENTACLE ATTACKS HIS SUB...

DJAHHH...

For a moment, DJ thinks he’s squid food. He is ensnared in the angry embrace of the massive cephalopod. But then he realizes these are just PIECES of what’s left of that squid.

SUYIN (RADIO)DJ?

DJI’m good. Sub’s gonna need a wash though.

SUYIN (RADIO)Entering vent. Controls on!

EXT. THERMAL VENT - SEA FLOOR - NIGHT

We watch as first Suyin and then DJ enter the plume of violent water that rockets upwards...

Careful eyes will see that the VENT ITSELF has been broken open by the REMAINS OF A CRASHED UNIS BOT.


Fight to keep their ships stabilized...

SUYINKeep the bubble level and watch your hull temp.

48.

DJ looks out the turbulent water, at the lights of Angel Three, and the black mass of the MEG hurtling towards it.

DJEverything I said about that guy. I’m taking it back right now.


Jonas can almost feel the beast upon them now.

JONASStandby... Standby... NOW!

Jonas BLOWS all the BALLAST TANKS, and Francois hits the RESCUE FLARE switch.

EXT. ANGEL THREE - CONTINUED

The suddenly rising sub drops a FLARE, which spreads like a comet tail behind them. As it does, Jonas kills the sub lights, so all focus is on the brilliant burning star.

It drops through the inky depths. Illuminating a wall filled with brightly colored algae, coral, alien creatures, until...

WHOOSH, the massive beast snatches the flare, its enormous jaws illuminated for the first time. The creature swims through its target, colliding violently with the undersea mountain range like a fiery wrecking ball. The sea wall that once provided shelter for Francois, now reduced to rubble.


On TACTICAL: They can see Angel Three rising, and...

FANFastbacks One and Two are rising. They’re going to make it...

ZHANGHe did it... He did it...

Joy begins to ripple through the DCC, and it increases ten fold when they hear Jonas’ deadpan voice over the coms:

JONAS (RADIO)Mana, this is Angel Three. We’ve blown our ballast and are rising, power off. We’ve lost our directional control so someone’s going to have to come meet us.

49.

MAC (MIC)(laughing)

That can be arranged--

But suddenly the good mood SOURS as -- PING... PING...


The PINGS are here too. The MEG is coming for them.

FRANCOISBut all the power’s off...

JONASI guess she learned that trick.

Jonas begins to power the sub back on.

JONASWe have to make flank speed for the thermocline. It can’t follow us through that! Francois, you ever been shot out of a cannon?

FRANCOISRight now, that actually sounds like a pretty good idea.

Jonas shoves the throttle forward. They rise like a missile.


The Sonar images tell the story. Angel Three is rising... The Meg below closing in fast... And the THERMOCLINE looms.

MACAt what water temperature will that thing have to turn back?

FANI don’t know. Megalodons are supposed to be extinct.

MACBest guess then!

ZHANGFifty degrees.

ANGEL THREE’S TEMP gauge - now at 58, ticks down to 57...

INT. ANGEL THREE

Francois watches through the back window. So far, no Meg.

50.

JONASApproaching Thermocline. You better grab on to something.

WHAM! The sub is SLAMMED by turbulence. Bad turbulence.

JONASIf I don’t slow down we might break apart!

But now Francois can see THE MEGALADON - it’s closing fast.

FRANCOISThat’s a negative on slowing down!


The good news is the temp is dropping... 54... 53... 52...


The bad news is the beast has nearly reached them. And, to make matters worse, all kinds of system alarms are firing as BOOM! BOOM! They continue to get hammered by turbulence.

JONASWe’re losing the engines!

EXT. ANGEL THREE

From outside the sub, we see the terrifying reality of just how close the Meg now is to the sub.

INT. ANGEL THREE

Francois’ chilling POV of the Meg, only seconds away. Alarms blaring, the sub rocking, and the excruciating ascent...

FRANCOISAAAAAHHHH!!!!

The MEG is about to reach them when SUDDENLY it turns back!


As we see the temperature gauge on Angel Three is now at 50... 49... And they all see that the MEG has turned around.

MACTHEY MADE IT! THEY MADE IT!

51.


Jonas throttles back what’s left of the engines, the sub literally falling to pieces around him and Francois.

JONASAngel Three, above the Thermocline. Request permission to never go back down there again.

MAC (RADIO)Permission granted! Great job!

Jonas and Francois share a very satisfied smile.

FRANCOISNice to meet you by the way.

EXT. FASTBACKS ONE AND TWO - CONTINUED

The Abyss Gliders head for the surface. As they speed off, we notice THE BLOODY TRAIL OF SQUID DJ’s sub is leaving behind... A trail that goes down... And down... And eventually...

Into that warm water channel through the thermocline.

EXT. OCEAN SURFACE - DAY

ANGEL THREE bursts through the surface. Jonas pops the hatch, climbs up and sees... NOTHING BUT OCEAN.

JONASSo much for a welcoming committee.

BLARE! Comes the sound of a SHIP’S HORN as Jonas and Francois turn around to see ZHANG’S RESEARCH VESSEL - THE MAZU -- a thousand yards away. And closing.

JONASNow that’s more like it.

The SHIP’S HORN sounds again as we...

CUT TO:

EXT. A PRIVATE BAY - HAINAN ISLAND - THAT AFTERNOON

Peace and quiet in one of Hainan’s most tranquil bays.

The MAZU is anchored a few hundred yards off shore from THE NEW 5-STAR “MANA RESORT AND SPA”. The place is a few months from opening, but Morris’s crown jewel is fully built, with a skeleton staff is putting it through its paces.

52.

INT. BEACH BUNGALOW GUEST ROOM - SHOWER - DAY

Jonas enjoys a hot shower. He’s cleaning up, and he’s trying to psychologically decompress from what’s just happened. He TURNS OFF the water and just stands there, breathing.

EXT/INT. BEACH BUNGALOW - CONTINUED

A knock and Jonas’s unlocked door swings open. SUYIN and MEIYING are there. Meiying holding something in her hands.

SUYINJonas? Jonas?

JONAS - having not heard them - steps out from his bathroom. Luckily, he’s in a towel.

SUYIN AND JONASOh, excuse me... Sorry, I didn’t know...

Meiying BURSTS OUT laughing. And, as Jonas retreats to quickly pull on some clothes out of their line of sight, he begins to LAUGH too - because Meiying’s glee is infectious.

JONAS(calls)

She kills me, you know that?

SUYIN(calls back)

Tell me about it. Saying no to her is almost impossible.

Jonas returns, dressed and smiling. Is this the first time Suyin has allowed herself to realize he’s handsome? She’s suddenly very aware. Luckily, her daughter to the rescue.

MEIYINGThis is for you...

Meiying hands him the somewhat crudely wrapped blob. It’s a DOLPHIN CHARM made of...

JONASTitanium.

SUYINThe dolphin is the symbol of the Zhang family. They’re also known to save people... from sharks.

Meiying reveals that she wears a matching, smaller, version of the charm around her neck. Jonas is very touched.

53.

JONASThank you.

SUYINNo, thank you.

Meiying begins to tug on her mom, wants her to ask Jonas something, but Suyin has her own thought to finish first.

SUYINI was hard on you. I didn’t treat you with the respect you deserved--

JONASForget about it--

SUYINYou saved our lives.

Her sincerity makes him uncomfortable. The intimacy of it. He shrugs it off but--

SUYINJonas. Thank you.

He nods. You’re welcome. Now, Meiying’s tugging reaches a fever pitch.

JONASWhatever it is, she’s not giving up.

Suyin stops her daughter with a look. Then...

SUYINMeiying wants me to ask you to join us for tea. It’s another family tradition. We share tea every time I’m back from a dive.

MEIYINGOnly she missed it last time because she was in that stupid Decompression Tank.

Jonas laughs at Meiying yet again. But then he sees something through the doorway behind them. It’s MAC and ZHANG walking a main building of the resort.

JONASI’d like to, but actually I have to talk to Mac about getting back to the mainland.

Those words sting Suyin in a way she hadn’t expected.

54.

SUYINYou’re leaving? Right. Of course.

JONASNow that everyone’s safe... I expect your father has a full plate without me to worry about.

Suyin hides her disappointment. Meiying doesn’t.

INT. CONFERENCE ROOM - RESORT - DAY

A room with a view of the Pacific. Right now it hosts an INTENSE DISCUSSION between Zhang, Morris, Heller, and Mac.

MORRIS...I’m not saying what happened wasn’t a tragedy, I just want to set that aside long enough to talk about what we found down there and what it means for the future. Because the choices we make between now and when you announce what happened could mean billions of dollars of added value.

REVEAL - JONAS, outside, listening and thinking that--

EXT/INT. THE RESORT’S OPEN-AIR RESTAURANT - DAY

Jonas finds Suyin and Meiying have set up tea at a table along the water’s edge.

JONAS--On second thought, tea sounds great.

Meiying claps.

MEIYINGOkay, sit here... And do exactly as I say...

JONAS(laughing, to Suyin)

Apple doesn’t fall from the tree.

Suyin blushes.

BACK TO -- INT. CONFERENCE ROOM - RESORT - SUNSET

A PICTORIAL of the ocean is unfurled. It depicts the sea seen from the side, so is all about the VARIOUS DEPTHS.

55.

ZHANGIn general, the deeper you go, the further you get from the sun, the colder the ocean gets.

MORRISBut where we dove today, at the very bottom, that water was warm.

Zhang indicates ‘Siren’s Void’ - the vast basin of the Marianas Trench - an area more than 1,000 miles long.

ZHANGYes, a portion of the deepest ocean is heated by volcanic vents. In these areas, as you get away from the heat source, so in this case as you rise, the water gets colder.

The CHART makes it clear. The water goes from warm at the bottom... gets cold as it rises away from the heat source...

ZHANGThe coldest water is always here in the thermocline. This water is too cold to support any life.

HELLERSo whatever lives above, stays above. And whatever lives below, stays below.

ZHANGGiven that we’ve never explored Siren’s Void, and given we’ve encountered at least one species, the Megaladon, heretofore thought extinct, I think the odds are there is an entire ecosystem down there that has remained untouched for millions of years.

MORRIS(thrilled)

Meaning we’re sitting on top of our very own Jurassic sea!

INTERCUT -- THE RESORT’S OPEN-AIR RESTAURANT - SUNSET

Meiying is showing Jonas the proper way to hold his tea cup, and Jonas is purposely getting it wrong to make her laugh.

MEIYINGHe’s funny!

56.

JONASYeah. Funny looking.

SUYINDo you have children, Jonas?

JONASNo. When I was in the Navy, my wife and I kept putting it off... Then after we got divorced, I focused all my energy on...

SUYINProving you weren’t crazy.

MEIYING See, I told you she said you were crazy!

That gets more laughs. But then, as kids often do, Meiying suddenly realizes something and gets sad.

MEIYINGWait. Does that mean you don’t have a family?

Jonas shakes his head, he doesn’t.

FANGot room for us?

FAN arrives, with DIMITRI and DJ. FRANCOIS is close behind.

SUYINThe more the merrier. Dimitri, since when do you drink tea?

DIMITRI(nods to Fan)

Since she makes me.

That gets a good LAUGH. Dimitri frowns.

DIMITRII wasn’t joking.

That gets a BIGGER LAUGH.


Where Morris is acting like they’ve just struck gold.

57.

MORRISWhy am I the only one excited here? I’m no Marine Biologist, but even I remember the prehistoric oceans were filled will all sorts of amazing creatures.

MACIncluding one that just killed three of our people.

MORRISAgain, I’m not discounting that...

MACThat’s exactly what you’re doing...

ZHANGSpeculation is dangerous, Ms. Morris. Only one thing is clear: we’ve found something very special, so we must proceed with caution. I’m afraid our plans to commercialize the Mana-One must be put on indefinite hold.

MORRISYou can’t be serious...

ZHANGThe platform is located directly above this new world...

MORRISWhich means we should double its size. Then build a second one--

ZHANGThis isn’t about attracting visitors. It’s about making sure we protect the ecosystem.

MORRISIf those things have been down there for 200 million years, I think their ecosystem can handle it-

ZHANGI’m talking about our Ecosystem.

(it hangs there a beat)The world we live in, a world whose entire balance of life would shift violently if even one pre-historic creature found its way up here.

58.

INTERCUT -- THE RESORT’S OPEN-AIR RESTAURANT - SUNSET

Where everyone is laughing now - relieved - letting go of some of the tension. DJ raises his tea.

DJI’d like to propose a toast. To Jonas.

ALLTo Jonas.

JONASWait...

(raises his)To Junjie, Carl, and Luc.

If Jonas wasn’t a full-member of the team, then that gesture puts him over the top. It’s met with nods and teary eyes.

They drink, and then after they put their cups down all eyes turn to Francois.

FANSo, Francois. You got anything stronger than tea in your bungalow?

FRANCOISWhy is it the Frenchman who always has to have the wine?

(beat, a grin)I’ll be right back...

Suyin and Jonas exchange a smile. A smile that lingers. A smile that keeps them focusing on each other even as we BEGIN TO HEAR the sound of a skiff’s engine racing into the bay.

MEIYINGThere’s something out there...


Morris looks at Zhang and the rest.

MORRISDr. Zhang, you are a brilliant man. But if you think you can control what’s about to happen, you are, forgive me, very naive. Before today, your platform was a specialty attraction. But when the world hears what you found, it is going to be the most desired destination on Earth. Every child

(MORE)

59.

on the planet will want to come here. Every parent will make it a priority. This resort, and every resort within 500 miles will devote themselves to what’s down there. Whether we like that or not--

Morris stops as suddenly the door is thrown open. SUYIN, breathless from running, is there.

SUYINDr. Heller!

INT. RESORT’S BEACH - SUNSET/NIGHT

Suyin and Heller race down to the water’s edge - (Mac, Zhang, and Morris close behind). They find the rest of the team has encircled a fishing boat’s skiff, whose PILOT has driven it right up on the sand. Then they see why:

A SECOND MAN - lying unconscious and bleeding on the sand.

HELLER(quickly goes to work)

He’s in shock and suffering from severe hypothermia. We need to get him to a hospital, right away--.

FANWe called for an ambulance.

HELLERGood, in the meantime, you can help me make sure he doesn’t lose any more blood.

As Fan joins Heller in bandaging the seemingly endless number cuts on the man’s body, Mac asks the big question.

MACWhat happened?

The Skiff’s Pilot answers in Mandarin.

SUYIN (TRANSLATING)His ship was fishing when they heard a crash. They turned and saw their sister ship had been smashed. Not an explosion, just smashed. By the time they got over to the wreckage, this man was the only one in the water. The others had vanished.

MORRIS (CONT'D)

60.

The AMBULANCE has arrived. PARAMEDICS come racing over with a stretcher. Heller supervises as they take the patient to the ambulance...

SKIFF’S PILOT(in broken English)

Sea Monster. He said - a Sea Monster attacked his ship.

As THE ENTIRE TEAM exchanges glances we...

CUT TO:

EXT. A PRIVATE BAY - HAINAN ISLAND - NIGHT

The Mazu’s anchor clears the surface, and the boat pivots until it is pointed out sea. Then its mighty engines roar to life - and the Mazu heads out into the darkness.

EXT. OCEAN - NIGHT

Even with DJ and Suyin’s Abyss Gliders in tow, the Mazu can go as fast as 30 knots, its bow piercing the dark waters...

EXT. MAZU - NIGHT

Jonas is up near the bow rail, looking out into night, wondering... Shaking his head as Mac looks on.

JONASIf that thing followed us... If it’s up here somehow...

MACIf being the key word.

JONASHe called it a sea monster, Mac. All his life he’s worked the ocean, and he called it a sea monster...

As if on cue the Mazu’s engines grow quiet and the ship DECELERATES... Now we see why... Because they are drifting through floating wooden debris... A whole field of it.

JONAS(droll)

You think a great white did this?

MACI think we’re about to find out.

JONASHow?

61.

Off Mac’s look...

A SERIES OF QUICK INTERCUT SHOTS:

INT. DIVE PREP ROOM - THE MAZU

Close on FAN pulling on a wet suit. DIMITRI zips her up.

INT. THE BRIDGE - THE MAZU

Jonas looking at Zhang and Morris. He’s backed by DJ and Francois. Suyin somewhere in the middle.

JONASTell me this is a joke...

INT. DIVE PREP ROOM - THE MAZU

FAN, now fully suited up, CHECKS THE ACTION on a CARBON FIBER SPEAR GUN that is as light-weight as it is bad-ass looking.


Jonas, continuing his rant.

JONAS (CONT’D)...Tell me we’re not seriously considering doing this...

EXT. DIVE PREP ROOM - THE MAZU

DIMITRI is filling SPEAR-TIPS (rounds for the Spear Gun) with liquid etorphine from glass medical bottles.

DIMITRIAn elephant is knocked out with 10 cc’s - so 100?

FAN(not messing around)

Use the whole damn bottle.


Jonas shakes his head.

JONAS (CONT’D)...Because unless I missed something, this is insane.

All eyes turn to Zhang. Zhang looks at Fan and Dimitri.

62.

FAN(disagrees forcefully)

If the Meg followed DJ’s trail up through the thermocline, then we can’t let it get away. We know it likes electromagnetic energy - that means Dimitri’s cage will draw it in like a moth to flame...

JONAS...Did you just compare that thing to a moth? This is madness...

MORRIS...Actually madness, if I understand Dr. Zhang correctly, would be to let this creature roam off towards the fishing fleet. Those boats wouldn’t stand a chance.

JONAS(glares at Morris)

A captured Meg would make for great advertising, is that it?

Zhang has heard enough.

ZHANGWe can’t avoid the truth, no matter how unpleasant. If there is a Megaladon here, if we leave it free to feed and mate, then we would be responsible for the worst ecological disaster in history. We, who have given our lives to protect these oceans.

(he looks at Dimitri)Are you sure your cage will hold?

DIMITRIMath never lies. The Megaladon could be the size of this ship, the cage will not break.

FANI’ll bet my life on it.

She takes Dimitri’s hand. Squeezes it.

63.

EXT. MAZU - AFT-DECK

There are TWO KEY FEATURES to the back of the MAZU: One is a small HELIPAD. The other is a PAIR OF MASSIVE RIGGING CRANES. And it is from one of those crane’s that--

--DIMITRI’S DIVE CYLINDER is now suspended.

The DIVE CYLINDER is a wonder. A ten foot-tall tube, made of SELEXIS, a clear material, plastic in appearance, that is THE STRONGEST MAN-MADE MATERIAL in HISTORY.

The CYLINDER has no corners, no weak points, and is large enough to hold several divers, though only FAN will be going down in it this time.

OPENINGS cut in the center and the top of the structure are too small for a shark to get through, but large enough for FAN to use as murder holes for her SPEAR GUN.

INT. DIVE CYLINDER - CONTINUED

Mac operates the crane, lowers the DIVE CYLINDER into the water, stopping when it is half submerged to allow FAN, fully-suited up, to climb inside.

Dimitri leans over the top, hands Fan her spear gun. Fan cocks it with confidence. Dimitri stares at her.

DIMITRIIs it weird that I’m a little turned on?

FANBy the sight of your girlfriend holding a high-velocity spear gun? Yes, it’s a little weird.

DIMITRI(smiles)

You’ve never used the word girlfriend before.

FANPlease put me in the water.

Dimitri smiles, shuts the top, and nods to Mac...

EXT. MAZU - AFT-DECK - CONTINUED

Mac pulls a lever and the Dive Cylinder sinks into the sea. Water floods the interior through the openings in the center and top of the chamber. Among those watching the ‘launch’ is JONAS. He shakes his head, worried.

64.

DIMITRIJonas, I’m telling you. The cage will not break.

We begin to hear the sound of an APPROACHING HELICOPTER. Jonas turns to Suyin -- what gives?

SUYINI told father if we were going shark hunting then he needed to evacuate all non-essential personnel to Hainan. Including...

Meiying, who is standing with Zhang, arms crossed. Visibly upset at her mother.

INT. DIVE CYLINDER - NOW UNDERWATER

The cylinder drops quickly. The invisible walls create an astonishing visual, as if Fan is standing underwater. LIGHTS snap ON and THE EXTERNAL CAMERAS position themselves.

INT. DIVE ROOM - MAZU - CONTINUED

Just inside the aft deck, the ship’s dive room isn’t as fancy as the one on the Mana One. THERE’S A BANK OF SMALL TV MONITORS showing FAN and VARIOUS CAMERAS’ POVs. THERE’S A SONAR SCREEN. CRANE/WINCH controls. And a MIC.

MAC (MIC)Radio check.

He looks at the MONITOR as FAN gives him a thumbs up.

MAC (MIC)Okay, taking you down to 100 meters.


The WHINE of the winch lowering the Dive Cylinder is no match for the ROAR of the HELICOPTER ENGINE. Non-Essential PERSONNEL are climbing aboard the chopper. Then only MEIYING is left to get on-board.

SUYIN(over the noise)

I love you. I’ll see you soon.

Meiying turns to the helicopter but then... RUNS AWAY!

SUYINMEIYING!

65.

Meiying disappears into the ship. Suyin goes after her.

MORRIS(to Zhang)

Do you want them to wait?

ZHANG(shakes his head no)

We’ll put her on the next one.

Morris NODS to the pilot. The HELICOPTER lifts off.

INT. DIVE CYLINDER - 100M BELOW THE SURFACE - NIGHT

The DIVE CYLINDER stops at 100M below the surface. The water surrounding it now a deep rich black. Fan turns to a small CONTROL BOX - we see a series of switches marked “ELECTRICAL REPELLENT FIELD”. Click - click - click. She turns the FIELD ON. For an INSTANT we see a tesla-coil like ELECTRICAL CHARGE shoot through the CLEAR material.


The entire team stand behind Mac, watching the monitors.

MACOkay, if that thing likes power, she just became the equivalent of a T-Bone steak.

Jonas shakes his head. That’s NOT a good thing.


FAN’S POV - Nothing but deep, dark blue in every direction. We HEAR her breathing, she’s trying to stay calm... But WHEN ALL YOU SEE IS DARK BLUE, WHEN YOU ARE WAITING for SOMETHING to appear, it is HARD TO STAY CALM.

Is that something...? No... What about that? No...

A 12-Foot GREAT WHITE passes over her head. She gasps!


The Great White is visible on the monitors and the SONAR.

HELLERHere comes a second one...

They can see the SHARKS on the sonar, sometimes before they see them on the camera...

66.

FRANCOISAnd a third...

DJWe’ve got ourselves a party.


Drawn by the bait fish dangling off the rigging at the top of the cylinder, the GREAT WHITES continue to increase in number. FAN tries to keep them all in sight as...

NUDGE...ZAP!

The first of the sharks grabs for a meal and finds out that the SELEXIS is ELECTRIFIED! The shark recoils as the Cylinder rocks back and forth from the attempt.

A SECOND SHARK and then a THIRD try their luck, but they meet the same painful fate. FAN’s cylinder is swaying back and forth but she’s loving it, laughing, like she’s on an amusement park ride.

Everywhere she looks she sees Great Whites, all of them amazing. None of them what she’s hoping to see.

And then, as she does a complete 360 turn in the cylinder, she begins to notice something:

The Great Whites are vanishing.


Their retreat of is even more obvious on SONAR...

MORRISThey’re getting frustrated.

ZHANGNo. The only thing that can chase off a shark is... a larger shark.

PING... PING... There, on the sonar, we now see a shape FOUR TIMES LARGER than all the other shapes.

FRANCOISIt’s the Meg.

JONASGet her out of there.

PING... PING... It’s like watching a train coming at someone.

67.

MAC(mic, calmly)

Fan, here we go. At your Six.


Fan turns inside the cylinder to the direction Mac told her. She holds the spear gun tightly. Eerie silence. Her breathing the only sound besides Mac’s voice.

MAC(radio, calm)

I’ll count it down for you...

FAN’S POV - as she prepares to see the monster...

MAC(radio, calm)

Five... Four...

FAN’S POV - Spear Gun ready...

MAC(radio, calm)

Three... Two...

FAN’S POV - Where is it!?

MAC(radio, calm)

One... And...

FAN’S POV - She sees nothing. SUDDENLY, she looks down as WHAM! The MEG, which had been swimming DEEPER than she expected, SLAMS into the DIVE CYLINDER from below!

THE IMPACT IS MASSIVE. Sparks fly! FAN is tossed across the cylinder, knocked senseless.

She recovers, tries to relocate the Meg. This time it comes from directly in front. BAM! BAM! The Meg slides across the cylinder, impervious to the electricity. Now we see it lit up in all its glory. A massive 35-foot wall of destruction.

SMASH! It knocks the cylinder completely HORIZONTAL!


Watching the MONITORS is disorienting, because everything is being knocked around. Mac and the others see GLIMPSES of FAN... And then parts of the MEG...

68.

JONAS(loud)

Come on, this is crazy, get her out of there!

DIMITRI(louder)

The cage - will - not - break!


Fan steadies herself amidst the BASHING and the SWAYING. She raises the SPEAR GUN and fires OFF THE PERFECT SHOT!

The DART reaches the dorsal fin, but BOUNCES OFF harmlessly! The Meg’s skin just too tough to penetrate.

The MEG seems to take the shot personally because it comes at Fan more aggressively than ever - HITTING THE CYLINDER AND SCRAPING along it, creating a dazzling display of electric fire, before disappearing into the void once again.

Fan has a moment to reload.


They realize she fired...

ZHANG (MIC)Fan, did you hit it?

Fan raises her hand - fist closed.

MACMissed.


Fan floats, waiting, searching the blue for what seems like an eternity. Then the Meg pounces from the shadows...

BUT THIS TIME WITH ITS JAWS OPEN WIDE - SO WIDE THAT THEY CHOMP DOWN ON THE CYLINDER - LIKE A DOG ON A CHEW TOY.

The MEG tugs and pulls the CYLINDER back and forth, as if trying to free the ‘TOY’ from some imaginary ‘Master’s hand’

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! There go all but one of the cameras.


GRRRRRRRIIIIIIINNNNNNDDDDDD.... What’s that sound? Jonas and Dimitri race back outside.

69.


What they see BOGGLES their minds. That GRRIIINNNDDD is the sound of the DIVE CABLE FORCIBLY UNSPOOLING from ITS MASSIVE REEL.

The Meg is pulling the Dive Cylinder Deeper a few feet at a time. But that’s not the problem. The problem is...

CREAK. All that tension is putting a strain on the reel and crane. Dimitri and Jonas both see it. Dimitri goes pale.

JONASYou’re right - the cage won’t break... The crane will!

ON JONAS

As he gets an idea and goes racing off, leaving Dimitri, who is now panicking and running back inside...

DIMITRIWe have to get her out of there!


The MASSIVE JAWS surround Fan, desperately trying to snap her up. The Dive Cylinder DEFORMS under the pressure, but doesn’t break, and it REBOUNDS to its normal shape any time the MEG loosens its grip.

SLAM - SLAM - SLAM - SLAM - The Meg resumes yanking it back and forth, dragging it further and further down.

Somehow FAN, who is being bounced around like a pinball, notices that there is less SCALY ARMOR on the UNDERSIDE of the Meg. She aims for what is an impossible shot...

Pfffft.... It’s a hit! Right between the pectoral fins! Fan let’s out a celebratory yell that no one hears as the Meg YANKS HER CYLINDER DOWN harder than ever!


Snap! Snap! The bolts at the base of the crane are literally being pulled from the deck. And then, there is one final SHARP SNAP...!


...A SNAP that coincides with the Meg’s SUDDEN RETREAT. For a moment, Fan is about to celebrate. Then she looks up towards the MOONLIT SURFACE above her...

70.

At first she sees a SHADOW, then she is able to make out the MASSIVE CRANE ARM hurtling towards her. The Meg has ripped it off the deck. The ARM will drag her to the bottom of the ocean, so she does the only thing she can, she opens the ESCAPE HATCH ON TOP OF THE DIVE CYLINDER...

And she’s just clear of it when IT’S DRAGGED DOWN INTO THE DARKNESS...

Fan finds herself floating, totally unprotected, 300 feet below the surface. It doesn’t get much scarier than that.


The one CAMERA still working on the cage shows a view of FAN above... And FAN’S CAMERA shows just how exposed she is.

MACShe blew the hatch! She’s in the water! She’s in the water!

EXT. MAZU - CONTINUED

RRRREEEVVVV. That’s the sound of Dimitri firing up a ZODIAC he’s launched off the far side of the ship.

FRANCOISHang on...

Francois comes leaping into the Zodiac, manning the controls.

FRANCOISI’ll drive, you grab her.

He SHOVES the DUAL THROTTLES forward to the stops.

EXT. OCEAN - 75 METERS DOWN

Fan kicking for the moonlit surface, still a long way to go. Beneath her, in the dark, we see OCCASIONAL BURSTS OF ELECTRICITY as the MEG continues to attack the Dive Cylinder.

There is a real rhythm to Meg’s strikes. We see LIGHT then dark. LIGHT then dark. But then LIGHT stops...

EXT. OCEAN - 300 METERS DOWN

We see the Dive Cylinder now in free-fall. The MEG has ABANDONED it. No longer interested in the ‘Toy’...

MEG’S POV

There’s something tastier high up above.

71.

EXT. OCEAN - FAN’S POV - 20 METERS DOWN

She’s breathing heavy. The promise of the surface so close!

EXT. OCEAN - MEG’S POV

The moving figure of FAN is getting larger.

EXT. OCEAN - NIGHT

Fan explodes onto the surface, spits out her regulator, SCREAMS for help.

EXT. OCEAN - MEG’S POV

All it sees is FAN now. This is going to be delicious...

...Then SOMETHING comes plowing through FRAME from left to right...

...we KNOW it’s the ZODIAC. But all the MEG knows is once this thing has passed... Fan has vanished.

EXT. OCEAN - ON THE ZODIAC - NIGHT

Fan is coughing and breathless in Dimitri’s arms.

FANI got the shot...

Francois, piloting them back to the Mazu at full throttle, shakes his head in amazement. Dimitri looks into Fan’s eyes.

DIMITRIOf course you did. Because you are the most bad-ass woman--

--Dimitri doesn’t get to finish that lovely thought because suddenly ALL OF THEM ARE FLYING OUT OF CONTROL IN THE AIR...

...THROWN FAR FROM THE ZODIAC - WHICH IS ALSO HURTLING THROUGH THE SKY - END OVER END.

EXT. AFT DECK - THE MAZU

Mac, Zhang and the others look on helplessly as THE MEG has smashed the Zodiac and now has three meals to choose from.


Francois is closest to the Zodiac, which has settled in the water upside down, so he swims for it while Dimitri and Fan race towards the Mazu.

72.

Francois reaches the Zodiac and is about to climb on board when SOMETHING knocks him from below - sending him back across the surface about ten feet.

Francois’s face wrinkles. He’s in pain, but still mobile. He swims for the Zodiac and as he’s about to climb on -- HE’S KNOCKED back again.

FRANCOISAre you playing with me?! Is that it?!

He swims for the Zodiac a third time and MAKES IT!

EXT. OCEAN - ON THE OVER-TURNED ZODIAC - NIGHT

Francois collapses flat on his back. Safe for the moment. Still waters. The only noise - his own heavy breathing.

And then we hear the unmistakable sound of rushing water. Francois’ heavy breathing turns to laughter, as he takes a moment, and enjoys the full moon as it hangs low in the sky.

FRANCOISI hope I give you indigestion.

WHOOOOMMMMMPPPP - In a blur, the massive jaws of the Meg break the surface. The Meg clamps down. The Pressurized Air in the ZODIAC EXPLODES and Francois’ blood sprays across the blue skies before raining down like a fine mist.

EXT. MAZU - PORT DECK

Suyin prepares to lower another Zodiac. DJ sees that.

DJSuyin, that’s suicide.

SUYINYeah. Now are you going to help or what?!

DJ nods. Of course he’s going to help.

EXT. OCEAN - NIGHT

Dimitri and Fan keep swimming. Even after the echo of Francois’ scream fades.

THEN THEY HEAR IT...

Like a jet engine ripping across the water. It’s the DORSAL FIN of the Meg. Just barely breaking the surface, but

73.

leaving a tremendous wake behind it, creating the visual effect of a giant invisible monster coming right for them.

DIMITRI(stops swimming)

You know that joke, you don’t have to be faster than the shark, you just have to be faster than me?

But Fan can tell even if Dimitri sacrifices himself first, it won’t make a difference. So she stops too.

FANHe gets you, then he gets me. Let him get us together.

They embrace, at least they wont die alone.

FANI might love you.

DIMITRII’ll take it.

The sound of that dorsal is as loud as a JET-ENGINE on take-off now. It’s about to reach them...

EXT. OCEAN - BELOW THE SURFACE - SAME

We see the MEG opening its jaws, about to bite when...

WHIIIISHHHHHH THHHUUUUUUD! Some kind of PROJECTILE on a chain SLAMS into the Meg’s side! REVEAL--

INT. FASTBACK ONE - JONAS

JONAS, in Suyin’s Abyss Glider, has FIRED THE PORT HORIZONTAL ANCHOR (that we saw Suyin and DJ use earlier) INTO THE MEG.

Jonas then inverts his Abyss Glider UPSIDE DOWN...

EXT. OCEAN - BELOW THE SURFACE SAME

...So that now the right ‘wing’ has a shot. He fires a SECOND ANCHOR into the beast’s side. These are fatal wounds. But not instantaneously fatal. And as the Abyss Glider and the shark are now linked twice, it means Jonas is about to be in for a wild ride.

We see the shark turn and twist...


Jonas braces himself as the anchor chains go taut.

74.

JONASThis is gonna hurt--

WHIRL-SPIN-SMASH-BANG!

The Abyss Glider is violently accelerated and decelerated in every direction. It’s like being on a roller coaster and the bumper cars at the same time. With a touch of bull rider.

EXT. OCEAN - SAME

The good news is DJ AND SUYIN, in their Zodiac, reach DIMITRI and FAN and pull them from the water.

FANWhat happened?

SUYIN(indicates the ocean)

Jonas.

From the surface, they can see GLIMPSES - THROUGH THE DARK OCEAN WATERS - of the VIOLENT BALLET BELOW. The bloody MEG twisting and turning. And the ABYSS GLIDER at its mercy.


Jonas, totally disoriented, blows the emergency BALLAST tanks just as he’s THROWN FROM his seat when his HARNESS BREAKS. His head smashes against the cockpit. Knocking him out cold.

CUT TO BLACK:

INT. SHIP’S INFIRMARY - MAZU - NIGHT

A LIGHT shines into ‘our eyes’. Dr. HELLER is the source of it... We are...

JONAS(weakly)

Hey.

Jonas rests on a bed, nursing the world’s worst headache. MEIYING holds his hand for comfort. SUYIN is with her, and MAC lurks unseen by Jonas off to the side, WORRIED.

JONAS (CONT’D)How long was I out, Doc?

HELLERA few minutes. Hopefully, it’s just a concussion, but we’re going to run a battery of tests once we get you back to the Mana One.

75.

Now Jonas sees MAC. Makes eye contact with his friend.

JONASDoc, I think I’m hallucinating. I see a monster behind you...

Meiying starts to cackle.

MACOkay, he’s fine.

Mac gives Jonas, ‘I’m glad you’re okay’ nod, before disappearing off screen. Jonas turns to Suyin:

JONASWhat happened to the Meg?

EXT. AFT DECK - THE MAZU - SUNRISE

The Mazu’s remaining CRANE ARM is HOISTING the DEAD MEG out of the water by its tail as DJ, FAN, and MORRIS look on.

MORRISIt’s spectacular...

INT. CONFERENCE ROOM - MAZU - CONTINUED

Mac sees the Meg coming up and then looks away, looks back to where DIMITRI is showing ZHANG PHOTOGRAPHS OF the SMASHED UNIS BOT that is partially wedged into the thermal vent.

ZHANGSo we are the reason it could get through the thermocline.

Dimitri nods.

DIMITRIBased on where our BOTS were placed, I’d say that’s BOT 14.

MACWhacked into the side of that vent like a tennis ball.

DIMITRINot a tennis ball, a thumb.

(Mac doesn’t understand)The Bot’s partially obstructing the flow of hot water out the vent - like a thumb over a garden hose - increasing the power of the water that does jet out...

76.

ZHANG...Creating a warm water hole up through the thermocline. A hole we’re going to have to close.

DIMITRIAs soon as we get back to the Mana-One, I can have the BOT self-destruct via remote.

EXT. AFT DECK - THE MAZU - SUNRISE

All 35-feet of the MEG is now out of the water. Its tail high in the air. Its once fearsome jaws now hovering a few feet above the water.

DJ and FAN sit side-by-side on folding chairs, just staring at the beast. The reverent silence is broken by...

MORRIS Will one of you take my picture?

She holds out her camera phone. Is she for real? Finally, Fan relents.

MORRIS Either of you want to join me?

FAN I just had a meet and greet with that thing’s digestive tract, so I’m going to skip the photo op.

Click - Fan takes the shot. She hands Morris her camera phone back. Morris realizes she may seem a tad insensitive.

MORRISIt’s been an emotional day. But I want you both to remember, what you’ve done here is unprecedented. You’re part of something truly historic.

Morris walks back inside the ship. Once she’s gone--

FANIs it just me, or were there actual dollar signs in her eyes?

Fan chuckles. DJ is stoic.

FAN (CONT’D)“Hey guys, how long do you think it would it take to train a Megaladon

(MORE)

77.

to do water ballet” (shakes her head)

I swear, if she comes back with a saddle, I’m going home.

DJ nods vacantly. Not really listening to her.

FAN (CONT’D)What’s wrong?

DJNothing.

FANRemember the last time we played poker? Remember what happened?

DJPeople focus too much on results...

FANI cleaned you out. Because you have the world’s worst poker face. Now what is wrong?

DJ(beat)

That’s not the same Meg.

INTERCUT - INT. SHIP’S INFIRMARY - MAZU - DAY

Where Jonas has just told Suyin a similar thought.

SUYINWhat do you mean, that’s not the same Meg?

Jonas tries to sit up, but he’s too dizzy.

JONASHow big is it? Thirty feet?

SUYINThirty-five.

JONASThe one we saw below. The one that killed Junjie, Carl, and Luc. It was twice that size. You said so yourself.

FAN (CONT’D)

78.

SUYINYou think there are two Megs? My father was surprised even one followed DJ’s trail because--

JONAS(a step ahead of her)

--Because sharks are territorial, he’s right. Assuming Megs behave like other sharks, it should have stayed down there. Unless...

(she waits for it)Mature sharks don’t go exploring new ground, they stay where they know the food is. Juveniles on the other hand...

ON SUYIN - as she grasps the meaning of what Jonas is saying.

EXT. AFT DECK - THE MAZU - MOMENTS LATER

DJ and Fan continue to debate.

DJFan, I’m telling you, it didn’t look bigger, it was bigger...

FANAnd DJ, I’m telling you, as someone who curled up inside that thing’s mouth, I can say with all confidence, that is the Meg.

SUYIN arrives and heads straight for the Meg.

DJSuyin, settle something for us...

But Suyin doesn’t even acknowledge them, she’s so focused on RAIDING a SUPPLY chest - grabbing a HARNESS, a BLOWTORCH, and some EYE PROTECTION.

FANSuyin?

Suyin climbs halfway up the CRANE, attaches her HARNESS, then REPELS down the side of the MEG. She reaches into the mouth, GRABS ON, and then pulls herself up and INSIDE the carcass.

INT. MEG’S MOUTH / EXT. MAZU - CONTINUED

The darkness disappears as Suyin sparks up her blowtorch.

79.

EXT. AFT DECK - THE MAZU - CONTINUED

Suyin’s operation attracts the attention of MORRIS, who comes running back in--

MORRISWhoa, whoa, whoa, what are you doing? We’re going to want that thing to look perfect!

SLIDE - That’s the sound that a MEG’S TOOTH, now liberated from the jaw, makes as it SKIDS across the deck and stops at FAN’S FEET. As Fan bends down to pick it up...

...Suyin pushes off the side of the shark, SWINGS out over the ocean, and then back towards the deck. She RELEASES the harness and lands in a trot towards her friends as MORRIS, annoyed, rushes over to the Meg to inspect the damage.

MORRIS (CONT’D)What were you thinking?!

FAN now has the tooth in her hands. She uses the ruler on her iPhone to measure the size. Then her face goes pale. She looks at SUYIN. Suyin nods.

FAN(realizes)

This is a baby.

SUYINAnd the one below, wasn’t. So...

The women exchange a look. Fan almost dizzy from the news.

DJCan one of you translate please?

SUYINThis Megaladon’s teeth are 8 cm. 8 cm means this monster is actually just a kid. Maybe 6 months old.

FANAnd while sharks aren’t very loving, mothers usually stay close to their offspring for the first year.

MORRIS, who is right at the ship’s edge, and had been mourning the damage done to her prize, suddenly BRIGHTENS like it’s Christmas morning.

80.

MORRIS(excited)

Wait are you saying there’s a bigger Meg?

THE ANSWER -- COMES IN HORRIFYING SCALE AND VIOLENCE. As suddenly the OCEAN BEHIND THE MAZU EXPLODES.

THE ‘MOMMA’ MEGALADON comes flying out of the water at a sideways angle. She’s so massive that her arrival BLOCKS OUT THE SUN, ECLIPSING THE MAZU, as her MIGHTY JAWS SNATCH the smaller Meg that was once her child but is now her meal.

MORRIS’S POV -- All she sees is Shark. It would be her dream come true except for the fact that--

THOOMP! The MEG takes Morris with it as it DISAPPEARS into the sea!

But not before... SMASH...! Its MASSIVE TAIL crashes through the AFT DECK of the Mazu with SUCH FORCE that the ship PITCHES NOSE UP INTO THE AIR before SLAMMING BACK DOWN.

DJ’S POV - FOR A MOMENT - THINGS ARE DISORIENTING. There’s NO SOUND, vision is BLURRY... Then, when the SOUND comes back it’s FILLED WITH DEAFENING SIRENS. And when VISION is restored, we see part of the aft deck is gone completely.

Fan and Suyin, both having nearly fallen into the sea, regain their feet. Fan looks around for Morris.

FANIs she...?

Suyin shakes her head. Morris is gone. And the ship is starting to sink. The two women collect DJ, who can only process what’s happened though gallows humor.

DJThat settles the bigger Meg debate.

INT. SHIP’S INFIRMARY - MAZU - MOMENTS LATER

Jonas, having been tossed like a rag doll gets to his feet.

JONAS(to Meiying)

Are you okay?

MEIYINGWhat’s happening?!

JONASWe’ve gotta get out of here.

81.

INT. CORRIDOR - ENGINE LEVEL - CONTINUED

MAC runs through a gauntlet of FLASHING LIGHTS towards the engine room. He runs into DIMITRI, who is just coming from there. They have to YELL over the siren to be heard.

DIMITRITHE PROPS ARE GONE, BOTH ENGINES ARE BLOWN AND WE’VE GOT NO RUDDER!

MACNOW COMES THE PART WHERE YOU TELL ME YOU CAN FIX IT SO YOU LOOK LIKE A HERO!

DIMITRITHE ONLY PLACE THIS SHIP IS GOING - IS DOWN - AND FAST.

INT. MAIN STAIRWELL - CORRIDOR - SECOND LEVEL - MAZU

Jonas and Meiying run into DJ, Fan and...

MEIYINGMOMMY!

SUYIN embraces her daughter as MAC and DIMITRI run up.

JONASHow bad is it?

Mac shakes his head. We’re going down. Off their looks:

MACIt’s not all bad news. Since we already took off non-essential personnel, we have enough Zodiacs for all of us.

DJZodiacs?! With that thing out there, are you nuts?

FANWe still have the two subs.

DIMITRI(shakes his head)

Lost them with the aft deck.

JONASWe need that helicopter.

ZHANG arrives as if on cue, and he has good news.

82.

ZHANGI already radioed them. They’re three minutes out.

Finally, a break.

INT. MAZU - THE HATCH TO THE HELIPAD - MINUTES LATER - DAY

The ENTIRE GROUP waits at the THRESHOLD OF THE HATCH that leads outside to the HELIPAD. The Mazu is now LISTING 15 DEGREES TO STARBOARD. And the HELICOPTER, which they can see approaching, has WHEELS for landing gear. This means:

MACWe’re listing too much for them to land safely. They’re going to have to use the basket - take us up one at time.

JONASHow long will that take?!

Mac looks Jonas - hopefully not too long.

INT. THE HELICOPTER - CIRCLING

In the belly of the Helicopter, the CO-PILOT finishes rigging A RESCUE BASKET to the winch. He nods to the THIRD AIRMAN, it’s ready. The Third Airman SLIDES THE SIDE DOOR OPEN.

Now it’s incredibly loud in here. The THIRD AIRMAN and the CO-PILOT push the BASKET out. It FALLS a few feet before the rope catches. Then the CO-PILOT turns on the WINCH.

The line unspools and the basket drops slowly...

INT. MAZU - THE HATCH TO THE HELIPAD - CONTINUED

Jonas can see the basket now...

JONASOkay, it’s coming.

Suyin, holding Meiying, will go first. As they wait next to Jonas, he can tell the little girl is terrified.

JONAS Have you got your dolphin on?

(off her nod)Then you’re going to be okay.

MEIYINGJonas, you know that’s just a superstition, right?

83.

He laughs. Smiles at her. Then motions them to wait a few more seconds. They watch the BASKET - getting closer.

EXT. OCEAN - BELOW THE SURFACE

MEG’S POV - From DOWN HERE the sky looks white. And we can see the dark shape of the Mazu, which is too big to eat... Then there is the Helicopter which is too high in the sky...

But then there is that BASKET, dangling there, like a treat.

INT. HELICOPTER - CONTINUED

The Third Airmen, looking down, judges the distance from the BASKET to the deck. It’s nearly there.

THIRD AIRMENLooking good...

He turns back for a moment, so he doesn’t see what WE SEE...

IN SLOW MOTION - WITH ONLY SELECTED SOUNDS PIERCING THE SILENCE...

The MEG is coming straight at the surface, about to breach.

EXT. HELIPAD - SLOW MOTION - SILENCE - CONTINUED

Jonas is outside with Suyin and Meiying when THEY SEE THE MEG SOARING INTO THE SKY. Our first look at the beast in ALL ITS IMPOSSIBLE GLORY. 70 feet long and 100 tons - yet it arcs through the air gracefully to snatch THE BASKET.

JONAS -- turns and grabs Suyin/Meiying. We HEAR his ‘GET BACK!!’ as he drives them inside the ship while...

BEHIND JONAS -- the MEG PIVOTS around its meal, its head turning back seaward as its TAIL carries on towards the sky.

INT. HELICOPTER - SLOW MOTION - SILENCE - CONTINUED

We hear, distant and hollow, the sound of the pilot screaming to no one. ‘POWER!... POWER!... POWER...!’

EXT. MAZU/OCEAN - SLOW MOTION - SILENCE - CONTINUED

The MEG, basket in mouth, begins to drag the Helicopter down. But then we hear a snap as, thankfully, the line breaks. And the plunging Helicopter arrests its fatal descent.

INT. HELICOPTER - SLOW MOTION - SILENCE - CONTINUED

The PILOT breaks into a smile. We hear the joy in his distant, hollow sounding voice - “WE’RE GONNA MAKE IT!”...

84.

Then the MEG’S TAIL rises into FRAME outside the cockpit.

PILOTOh sh--

EXT. MAZU/OCEAN - RESUME FULL SPEED

SMASH! The Tail of the Meg SLAMS INTO THE HELICOPTER, sending the Helicopter careening into the Mazu.

INT. MAZU - JUST INSIDE THE HATCH TO THE HELIPAD

Jonas pulls the HATCH shut as -- BA-BLAM! -- The Helicopter EXPLODES with tremendous force and a noise so deafening that, after it’s over, our group is surprised to be unhurt.

EXT. HELIPAD - MOMENTS LATER

Jonas opens the HATCH to see if there are any survivors. But the deck is just filled with burning debris.

JONAS(long beat, to Mac)

How many Zodiacs do we have?

CUT TO:

EXT. MAZU/OCEAN - WIDE SHOT - DAY

The Mazu is listing badly, soon it will roll over.

EXT. MAZU - STARBOARD SIDE - DAY

THREE EMPTY ZODIACS float, tied to the deck. TWO are full-sized. ONE is smaller. As everyone prepares to board, MAC raises a pair of binoculars/laser ranger finder to his eyes.

MAC’S POV - THROUGH THE RANGE FINGER

The Mana-One looks huge at this magnification. And the DISTANCE, per the little red digital read out, is...

MAC1 and 1/4 miles.

DIMITRISo about five minutes.

Looks are exchanged among the group. That’s not a lot of time. And yet, why does it feel like an eternity?

JONASDoes anyone see the Meg?

85.

ZHANG looks at his watch, he’d set his timer.

ZHANGNot for almost seven minutes now.

It’s now or never. The group jumps in quickly...

BOAT 1 - has DJ, MAC, and FAN

BOAT 2 - has JONAS, SUYIN, MEIYING and ZHANG

BOAT 3 - (the smaller one) - has DIMITRI and HELLER.

Before they fire up their engines, Zhang reminds them:

ZHANG Predatory instinct is to look for the weak link. If we stay together, we have a better chance of all of us making it.

(exhales)I just want to say...

...but words fail him then. He feels responsible for every person out here and that is weighing on him.

MACYou can finish that on the platform. Because we’re all making it and that’s an order.

SUYIN(scans the horizon)

Looks clear.

Three boats, Nine people, Eighteen eyes all search for the 70-foot beast. But the ocean is calm. They have a chance.

--SFX: ENGINES AND WIND

EXT. OCEAN - MOMENTS LATER

The THREE ZODIACS bound across the sea. At this speed, the WIND, ENGINES, and SEA SPRAY combine in a sensory overload.

THE BOATS stay close together. The three pilots: JONAS, DIMITRI, and MAC do an excellent job staying in formation.

VARIOUS POV’S - OF THE WATER

Everyone has a moment where they think they see it. There, off to the left... No, behind us on the right... A passing clump of SEAWEED nearly gives DJ a heart-attack.

86.

BUT THE TRUTH IS -- There is no sign of the Meg.

QUICK CUTS - CLOSE-UPS

JONAS keeps his eyes fixed on the Mana-One. SUYIN holds MEIYING close. ZHANG whispers a prayer.

The seas are clear.

MAC scans the horizon, DJ eyes the floor. FAN looks two boats across at DIMITRI.

The seas still clear

DIMITRI eyes the gauges. And HELLER... Heller allows himself the first hint of a SMILE...

DJ--THERE IT IS!

THEIR POV

A MASSIVE DORSAL FIN is circling the sinking MAZU about 1/2 mile behind them.

THEY ALL WATCH

As the DORSAL FIN moves languidly, in profile, perpendicular to the Zodiacs, seemingly disinterested. And for a moment, it really seems as if the Meg doesn’t care about them.

BUT THEN THE DORSAL FIN TURNS

Straight for them. A wake grows as the Meg ACCELERATES, and the fin sinks low in the water as its speed builds.

JONAS(calls to other boats)

STAY TOGETHER!

THE MEG’S SPEED is breath-taking. It becomes clear...

ZHANGIt’s going to reach us before we make it to the platform.

EXT. OCEAN - BEHIND THE ZODIACS

Speeding along with the MEG as it closes in fast.

INT. ZODIAC ONE - DJ, FAN, AND MAC

DJ sees that the Meg is angling for their boat or Suyin’s.

87.

DJMAC!

MACI’M GOING AS FAST AS I CAN!

JONAS (O.S.)(distant, faint)

Stay together...

INT. ZODIAC THREE - HELLER AND DIMITRI

HELLER watches, horrified, as it becomes clear the MEG is going to take down one of the other two boats.

DIMITRI(not aware of that)

WE’RE HALFWAY THERE!

When he hears nothing in response, DIMITRI GLANCES BACK. He sees the MEG is going for Boat 1 or Boat 2. He looks at FAN in Boat 1... And the fear of losing her grips him.

JONAS (O.S.)(distant, faint)

Stay together...

HELLER

To his credit, may not have a loved one on those boats, but he can tell his partner does. He can also do the math. There are only two people in this boat. It is a logical sacrifice.

HELLER(to Dimitri)

He’s wrong. If we stay together, the MEG will get two of us before we make the platform. But if one boat peels off and leads it away...

DIMITRI processes what Heller is suggesting. He nods at Heller and Heller nods back. It’s agreed. We’ll do this.

INT. ZODIAC TWO - JONAS, SUYIN, MEIYING, AND ZHANG

JONAS sees HELLER looking his way. Heller gives him a salute. It’s both an apology and a goodbye.

INT. ZODIAC ONE - FAN, DJ, AND MAC

FAN sees Dimitri staring at her. Like he’s looking at her for the last time. And then she knows at once.

88.

FANNo... No... NO...!

INT. ZODIAC THREE - DIMITRI AND ZHANG

DIMITRI turns the wheel and angles off.

QUICK CUTS BETWEEN ZODIACS ONE AND TWO

As the others react to the sacrifice. Zhang looks at the men with pure admiration and heartbreaking guilt. Fan’s I love you’s are heard only by the wind.

EXT. OCEAN - WIDE

Dimitri begins a wide, sweeping turn, which DRAWS the MEG off. He brings the ZODIAC to a heading that eventually is almost directly away from the other boats.

HEAVEN’S POV

From up here, we see the geography of the sacrifice, as ZODIACS 1 and 2 are now separating from the MEG and ZODIAC 3.

INT. ZODIAC THREE - DIMITRI AND HELLER

The two men stand side by side, looking straight ahead, not seeing the death that bears down on them from behind.

They face the sun, they face the light. They can HEAR the Meg behind them now. Then the sun GROWS IMPOSSIBLY WHITE--

CUT TO:

INT. ZODIAC TWO - SUYIN, MEIYING, AND JONAS

Suyin angles Meiying away so she doesn’t see the EXPLOSION OF WATER in the distance. There’s nothing too graphic about it. And no screams can be heard. Just a giant burst of water and then a terrible SILENCE.

INT. ZODIAC ONE - DJ, FAN, AND MAC

Fan buries her head in her hands, sobbing.

INT. ZODIAC TWO - SUYIN, MEIYING, AND JONAS

Jonas catches Suyin’s tear soaked eyes; one thing that gives him great solace is that the MEG is too far away to be a threat now. To either boat.

JONASWe’re going to make it. We’re both going to make it.

89.

EXT. WATER - DAY

The Zodiacs PASS BY CAMERA, heading for the sanctuary of MANA ONE. And we FADE...

TO BLACK:

INT. DIVE CONTROL CENTER - DAY

For a moment there is no SOUND... Just IMAGES...

A HAND along the back of Dimitri’s chair, which still bares the IMPRINT of Dimitri’s back.

SUYIN (FAINT, DISTANT)Fan...

FINGERS tracing some DESIGN DOODLES that Dimitri had been scribbling...

SUYIN (FAINT, DISTANT)Fan...

Finally stopping on a QUICK SKETCH Dimitri made of Fan herself, when she wasn’t looking.

ALL SOUND RETURNS--

SUYINFan? Are you going to be okay? Because we need you.

Before she can answer, Fan feels a TUG at her side. MEIYING is there, offering her a sip of her SODA. Fan touches Meiying’s cheek: ‘No, but thanks.’

FAN(to Suyin)

I’m good.

SUYINPing Bot 14 and see if it responds. We need to close that hole in the thermocline.

ON MEIYING - watching as FAN and SUYIN go to work. Then turning to see JONAS, MAC and DJ in a heated conversation. Meiying exhales. Not interested in either talk.

INT. OBSERVATION LEVEL (O-LEVEL) - MOMENTS LATER

Ding. The elevator opens and MEIYING steps out into the all-glass world of the O-LEVEL.

90.

She walks forward, drawn by something she sees IN THE OCEAN, beyond the RIM of the structure. She reaches the end, extends her hands, her fingers tracing the glass.

A HUMPBACK WHALE rolls gracefully onto its belly, its NEWBORN CALF close to its side. Meiying smiles.

FAN (PRE-LAP)Internal cooling off... Pressure regulators shut down...


The TACTICAL DISPLAY showing data from BOT 14 begins to flash red. Fan’s fingers fly across the keyboard--

FAN...Bot self-destruct in 10. 5.

EXT. DEEP OCEAN - BOT 14 - WEDGED IN THE THERMAL VENT

BLAM!! Bot 14 explodes with a flash. Its pieces jetted upward by the power of the THERMAL VENT, then scattered.

The TELL TALE COLUMN OF SUPER-HEATED WATER, which had stretched upwards like a TRANSLUCENT elevator shaft, DISAPPEARS.


Fan turns to Suyin, Mac, DJ and Jonas. She smiles.

FANThe hole is gone.

MACSo nothing else can get up here.

DJYeah, but that also means what came up is staying up.

JONASThe Meg was never going back down. Where it came from it was just another part of the food chain. Maybe not even the baddest thing on the block. But up here...

INT. OBSERVATION LEVEL (O-LEVEL) - DAY

Meiying, face pressed against the glass, delights in watching the Whales.

91.

JONAS (V.O.)Up here, she’s the apex predator, with no natural enemies, and an unlimited supply of food.


The sound of the DOOR. A frustrated Dr. Zhang enters.

ZHANGThe Navy is sending a helicopter for us, ETA 40 minutes.

JONASWhat about the Meg?

ZHANGThey’re running my request for military support up the line, but it’s not like they have a protocol to deal with this--

JONAS--Because they don’t believe it.

The reality of that hangs there. Suyin shakes her head--

SUYINWell, they’re about to...

She indicates the waters NORTH of HAINAN ISLAND on the map.

SUYIN (CONT’D)Half the fishing fleet is working these waters. That’s fifty, sixty boats. And the Meg is gonna tear right through them. After that comes 30,000 tourists on the beaches at Sanya Bay--

--SLAM. The DCC is rocked by an IMPACT. Something has hit them. Reflexively, Fan pulls up CAMERA FEEDS of THE WATERS SURROUNDING THE MANA-ONE. That something is the MEG.

DJLooks like she’s got some unfinished business first.

Several MONITORS now show various angles of the massive beast rushing the Mana-One.

MACHang on!

92.

--SLAM! THIS IMPACT is stronger. An EXPLOSION of concussive force that triggers A DEAFENING CACOPHONY OF ALARMS--

FANWE’VE GOT BREACHES! TAKING ON WATER AT D-LEVEL, F-LEVEL, J-LEVEL--

SUYIN turns to check on Meiying -- only to realize her daughter isn’t there.

SUYINMeiying!

--SLAM! This THIRD IMPACT is THE KNOCK-OUT PUNCH. One by one, every system shuts down: THUNK - THUNK - THUNK - THUNK. And they are plunged into TOTAL DARKNESS.

EXT/INT. OBSERVATION LEVEL (O-LEVEL) - DAY

We’re looking in at Meiying from outside the glass. Behind her, the lights go out, but she doesn’t notice because she’s TRANSFIXED by what’s unfolding in front of her.

IN THE REFLECTION OF THE GLASS, we can see the two whales. The Mother Whale is being shaken violently.

REVEAL - the MEG has the whale in her jaws and is ripping it to pieces. It‘s a staggering demonstration of the true power of this beast - now unleashed in our world. As blood POURS from the dying whale, the sea becomes a THICK RED FOG--


ALARMS still screaming. SUYIN (with JONAS) JABS repeatedly at the elevator button, but it won’t work until--

FANEMERGENCY POWER -- ON-LINE!

DARKNESS is replaced by eerie RED LIGHTING and -- DING the ELEVATOR DOORS OPEN. As Jonas and Suyin head down to get Meiying, Fan checks the damage control screen.

MACHow bad is it?

FANWorse.

INT. OBSERVATION LEVEL - DAY

Meiying stares out at the thick red fog (blood). Then, it begins to clear in front of her. Revealing A BLACK HOLE.

93.

Ding. JONAS AND SUYIN arrive. And what they see causes their hearts to skip a beat. That’s not a BLACK HOLE...

IT’S THE MEG.

EXT. OBSERVATION LEVEL - SAME

The MEG hovers in the current, its side abutting the O-level, its MASSIVE EYE inches away from Suyin’s little girl.

INT. OBSERVATION LEVEL - CONTINUED

For a beat, no one dares move. Then the EYE darts away--

JONASSUYIN, GO!--

SUYIN races down the glass ‘spoke’ to save her daughter while the MEG makes a 270-degree turn and comes at Meiying head-on. Jaws opening...

IT ALL HAPPENS IN LESS THAN A SECOND

Suyin grabs Meiying and dives laterally, running along the rim of the station just as -- SMASH -- the MEG hits! It obliterates the place where Meiying just stood, and destroys THAT ENTIRE CORRIDOR/SPOKE, as if it were made of smoke.

AUTOMATIC PRESSURE DOORS

Seal off the O-level where that SPOKE used to be as SMASH - SMASH - the MEG takes out TWO MORE SPOKES - plowing through them sideways - before diving away.

JONAS(watching the Meg)

IT’S COMING AROUND!

INT. O-LEVEL - 4TH SPOKE - DAY

Suyin and Meiying reach the next intact ‘spoke’ - turn - and sprint for the elevator. Suyin can see the MEG coming at them from directly below. They aren’t going to make it.

IN SLOW-MOTION

Suyin LEAPS into the air and THROWS her daughter forward, as the CORRIDOR beneath them SHATTERS from the Meg’s impact.

Still airborne, Meiying and Suyin suddenly collide with JONAS, sliding into frame so as to CATCH MEIYING and PULL SUYIN through the--

RAPIDLY CLOSING PRESSURE DOORS--

94.

Which SNAP SHUT just after they’re all safely on the elevator side.

RESUME - FULL SPEED

SLAM! The Meg obliterates Spoke 4 -- and Jonas, Suyin, and Meiying FALL BACKWARDS into the ELEVATOR as its doors close.

CUT TO:

INT. DIVE CONTROL CENTER - DEAFENING ALARMS - DAY

Everyone has been knocked to the floor. ELECTRICAL ARCS spark around them. WATER jets through SEAMS IN THE WALLS.

FAN struggles to her knees and finds herself looking at MEIYING’S SODA CAN as it is CRUSHED by an invisible hand!

FANDR. ZHANG!...

Plastic bottles of water collapse in on themselves. Plasma screens explode as if hit by unseen hammers.

Zhang looks at the INTERNAL PRESSURE GAUGES. They are sky-rocketing into the RED. Heading for fatal levels fast.

ZHANGTHE PRESSURE VESSEL IS FAILING. WE HAVE TO GET TOPSIDE, NOW--

Ding -- JONAS, SUYIN, and MEIYING arrive in the Elevator.

JONASGoing up?

INT. FREIGHT ELEVATOR - MOMENTS LATER

It’s a long ride to the top. Anxious silence until...

SCRAAAAAAYYYY... They begin to hear a TERRIBLE SOUND. A sound that grows LOUDER as they reach the top deck and the doors OPEN on to--

EXT. MANA-ONE - MAIN PLATFORM - DAY

--A sight out of Dante. Black SMOKE swirls in the wind. FIRES burn across the deck. And that SCRAAAAYYYY - is the MANA-ONE’s LOADING CRANE as it comes CRASHING to the deck!

SMASH! - the crane hits just a few feet in front them! When the dust clears, the group take stock of their situation.

95.

ON JONAS - as he stares at the fallen CRANE. Something about it triggers an idea in his mind... He starts to think...

DJHow long before that helicopter gets here!?

ZHANG30 minutes.

ON JONAS - STILL THINKING - It’s just an ordinary crane... Ordinary construction crane... Construction...

DJ30 minutes? This thing will be at the bottom of the ocean in 30 minutes!

ON JONAS - As the idea snaps into place.

JONASIt’s enough time.

DJFor what?

JONASFor us to kill that Meg.

FAN(lights up)

Now we’re talking.

But the rest of the team stare at him. Kill the Meg?

JONASEven if rescue gets here for us, that doesn’t help the fishing boats, or the tourists. Like it or not, we’re the ones responsible for this. So I’m not going anywhere until that thing’s dead -- or I am.

ON ZHANG - as he looks at Jonas. And then nods.

ZHANGWhat do have you in mind?

JUMP FORWARD TO:

EXT. OCEAN SURFACE - AS SEEN FROM JUST UNDERWATER

Peace, tranquility... THEN WE SEE SOMETHING FALLING TOWARDS US... Is it TWO ASTRONAUTS IN SPACE SUITS...?

96.

SPLASH! --- No, it’s JONAS and SUYIN, each in DEEP-SEA DIVING SUITS, with WEIGHT BELTS that allow them to drop as fast sky divers, and RECOVERY WIRES hooked to their suits.

GO BACK TO:

EXT. MANA-ONE - MAIN PLATFORM

Jonas begins to outline his plan.

JONASWhen you built this platform, you set the foundation in bedrock. Which means explosives. Still have any?

MAC We do, but they’re in an underwater bunker near the base of the station. It’s 300 meters down.

Jonas nods. 300 meters down. That won’t be a problem...

JUMP FORWARD TO:

JONAS AND SUYIN’S POVS - FROM INSIDE THE SUITS

We’re along for a TERRIFYING, TURBULENT, and CLAUSTROPHOBIC ride. Outside sounds are muted - while our own breathing seems amplified. OUR FIELD OF VIEW is limited to what’s directly in front of us. We can just make out, to one side, the SUPERSTRUCTURE of the Mana-One as we drop down along it, rapidly. Very rapidly.

GO BACK TO:


Jonas continues...

JONASThis all started with the BOTs. The Meg was drawn to them as soon as you turned them on. So Suyin and I will go down to that bunker. We’ll get explosives and rig a bomb. DJ, Fan, you two bring down a BOT. Then, we connect the bomb to the Bot, turn it on, and -

FAN--Boom - end of story.

JUMP FORWARD TO:

97.

JONAS AND SUYIN’S POVS - FROM INSIDE THE SUITS

The TERROR RIDE continues. It’s like driving flat out through the fog, hoping you don’t hit something. FISH AND AQUATIC LIFE rush up at us, seemingly out of nowhere!

GO BACK TO:


DJ shakes his head. There’s a problem.

DJJonas, that crane was our last chance of getting a BOT down there. The Meg already took out all our subs. We’ve got nothing.

Jonas is caught. That’s a deal-breaker.

FANActually there is something.An unmanned prototype Dimitri was working on. It’s small, but powerful enough to take a Bot.

DJSince when was Dimitri interested in unmanned subs?

FANSince the day you tried to ask me out.

That hangs there a beat. All of them caught. A moment of humanity. Of levity at DJ’s expense. They all needed that.

MACOkay people, let’s get to work!

FORWARD TO:

EXT. OCEAN - UNDERWATER

JONAS and SUYIN whizz by, like two base jumpers, dropping along the Mana-One.

BACK TO:

EXT. MANA-1 - MAIN PLATFORM

Everyone disperses to start the plan. Jonas holds Mac back.

98.

JONASNone of this works if you don’t get power back to the main line.

There’s a reason Jonas saved this for last. It’s impossible.

MACJonas, I don’t know if this Meg can read a blueprint, but she managed to take out all our generators.

(shakes his head)Dimitri is who we need.

JONASYou’re who we’ve got.

Mac shakes his head.

MACI can’t tell if this plan is crazy, or stupid.

JONASOnly one way to find out.

Off their smiles...

END SEQUENCE

ON JONAS - INSIDE HIS SUIT - STILL IN FREE-FALL

A matching smile on Jonas’s face as his breakneck descent continues. A smile that EXPLODES INTO AGONY WHEN--SNAAAP!

JONASAAAARRRRRRRGGGGHHHHH!

Jonas’s descent is STOPPED ABRUPTLY, causing him to cry out, as Suyin DISAPPEARS into the waters below.

EXT. MANA-ONE - DECK

Zhang, who is standing the TWO SPOOLS OF WIRE attached to their suits, sees Jonas’s wire has stopped dead.

SUYIN (RADIO)SOMETHING HAPPENED TO JONAS!

JONAS’S POV - FROM INSIDE HIS SUIT

His breathing labored, Jonas shakes off the pain and looks up. His LINE got SNAGGED on part of the MANA-ONE.

99.

JONAS (MIC)I’m okay. But my recovery line is all tangled up in the platform.

SUYIN’S POV - RAPIDLY APPROACHING THE BOTTOM

She’s at 300 meters and the sea floor is rushing towards her.

SUYIN (MIC)Floor in sight, Weight belt released...

EXT. SEA-FLOOR (320 METERS) - CONTINUED

Suyin hits the QUICK RELEASE ON HER WEIGHT BELT, freeing her from the dropping mass of lead. The BELT continues on rapidly, STRIKING the sandy bottom like a meteor...

But Suyin SLOWS RAPIDLY, and by the time she reaches the bottom, her momentum is dissipated by one forward roll. She LOOKS UP for Jonas and sees him, dangling high up there, like some toy on a string, totally defenseless.

EXT. OCEAN / INT. SUIT - JONAS’S POV

Jonas begins to saw at the line his trusty knife.

JONAS (MIC)I’m cutting free.

ZHANG (RADIO)How do we get you back to the surface?

JONAS (MIC)One problem at a time.

At least this won’t take very long, the WIRE begins to fray quickly. SNAP!... SNAP!... He’s free and begins to fall--

SUYIN (RADIO)--WAIT, JONAS DON’T!

Reflexively, Jonas grabs for the wire and catches it. But he’s holding his entire weight, and that of the belt, by one gloved hand. And his grip is slipping, fast.

SUYIN (RADIO)It’s passing right beneath you.

JONAS LOOKS DOWN

The MEG’s size, compared to Jonas’s, is almost comical. It’s like a COMMERCIAL AIRPLANE is passing 10 feet beneath him.

100.

JONAS LOOKS UP

His GLOVED HAND can’t maintain a grip on the wire. He watches the line slip from his fingers... And then...

JONAS DROPS

Just as the MEG finishes passing though! WHOOOSH - it’s so close that JONAS can feel the heat of MEG’S massive tail as it swipes, lethally, just inches from him his face.

EXT. SEA-FLOOR (320 METERS) - MOMENTS LATER

Suyin watches as Jonas approaches. Like her, he ditches the weight belt with about 15 meters to go, then slows himself to make a soft landing. Suyin stares at him.

SUYINYou okay?

JONASLet’s get to the bunker. Because I really want to blow that thing up.

CUT TO:

INT/EXT. MANA ONE - POWER STATION - DAY

The central power station is located one floor below the main deck, and the stairwell to it has collapsed, meaning MAC has to CRAWL down the twisted remains of the staircase...

Then CRAWL across the top of the power station... Then REPEL off its side, dangling out over the water, so he can do the repairs there. Mac looks down at a Medusa’s hair tangle of ELECTRICAL wires, half of which are hanging in the WATER.

MACWhat could go wrong here?

As soon as he says that, WHAM! The MEG RAMS the station (off-screen) causing this ENTIRE PLATFORM TO DROP FIVE FEET CLOSER TO THE SEA before finally catching. Mac’s adrenaline spikes.

MAC(to the universe)

That was a rhetorical question!

WHAM! The MEG hits the station again...

101.

INT. MANA-ONE - EXTERNAL HALLWAY

...Rattling the entire Mana-one as the CAMERA now FOLLOWS BEHIND DJ AND FAN -- as they RUN down a partially-flooded industrial hallway, with only DJ’s FLASHLIGHT guiding them.

DJIs it me, or does it seem like she’s getting more pissed off?

FANShe can join the club.

DJ darts around a corner, FAN on his heels as...

WHAM! The MEG hits again and suddenly DAYLIGHT replaces darkness as the entire hallway in front of them DISAPPEARS!

The MEG has taken out the SKYWAY connecting the north side of the Mana-One to the south side. And it’s done that just as DJ was leading Fan onto that skyway at break-neck speed!

DJ watches/feels as the corridor around him seems to vanish, and suddenly he’s in mid-air, about to drop into the lethal waters below. For a moment, time stands still...

Then a hand reaches into frame and--

FANI GOT YOU!

FAN pulls him back from certain death using every last bit of energy she’s got. The two of them fall back into the safety of what’s left of the skyway. For a moment, neither can do anything but breathe.

Finally, they get to their feet. And DJ looks straight into the eyes of the woman who just saved his life.

DJJust so we’re clear, I wasn’t asking you out. I was being polite because you were new here.

Fan stares at him. About to nail him with a clever rejoinder when -- WOOOOSH -- DJ vanishes. FALLING into the ocean as more of the skyway collapses. Fan can only watch him go...

EXT. FROM BELOW THE SURFACE OF THE OCEAN - CONTINUED

Through the churning water, we see DJ falling backwards into the sea. His IMPACT SPLASH rings out like a dinner bell.

102.


DJ surfaces and finds himself surrounded by large chunks of floating DEBRIS. He looks for something big enough to protect him from the shark, but then realizes that’s futile.

So he looks up at the Mana-One. He has NO WAY of climbing back up on the South side, where Fan is. His only choice is to swim the 50 meters the skyway used to span and reach the North Side, where the DIVE PLATFORM sits at just above water level. A safe haven. If he can get there.

DJ is about to swim for it when--

FAN (O.S.)DJ. Don’t. Move.

He looks up at Fan. He’s never seen her so scared in her life.

EXT. MANA-ONE - FAN’S POV

Now we see why. THE MEG is just a few meters beneath the surface of the water, DIRECTLY UNDER DJ, studying him.

ON DJ - as he begins to hyperventilate from fear. He has to fight the urge to move. An urge coming from every cell in his body.

ON FAN - she stares directly into his eyes, trying to keep him centered. Keep looking at me. Relax. Just relax.

ON DJ - trying not to cry out as the MEG’S MASSIVE NOSE lazily brushes him. As if to see - is this just a piece of debris, or should I eat it...?

FANYou’re OK. You’re Ok.

DJ looks up at her - easy for her to say! Then suddenly DJ is BLINDED BY A BEAM OF LIGHT. What the?!

It’s his flashlight. The nudge from the Meg liberated it from DJ’s pocket, it’s about to fall in the water, and it’s still on!

DJOh no...

ON THE FLASHLIGHT as it leaves the confines of DJ’s pocket and begins to sink. DJ knows if he grabs for it, the MEG will devour him. So he remains motionless. Helpless to stop the flashlight’s fall.

103.

EXT. BELOW THE SURFACE OF THE OCEAN

The flashlight TUMBLES end over end - down past the massive creature - which takes no notice of such a tiny spec.

But then, like an undersea spotlight, the flashlight’s beam sweeps the eyes of the MEG, before disappearing below.

The MEG, triggered, follows it into the depths.


As DJ waits for death, FAN realizes the MEG has vanished. But where is it...?

WHAM! The answer nearly sends Fan into the ocean herself. The MEG has moved off, and decided to strike one of the TWO ZODIACS tied up at the dock. It takes half the dock with it!

The bad news is - with the dock damaged - that part of the station begins to take on water. The good news is - all that is happening a good distance away from where DJ is!

FANDJ! Go! Go!

DJ, amazed to still be alive, SWIMS as fast as he can...

EXT. OCEAN - MANA-ONE - CONTINUED

DJ manages only a few strokes BEFORE THE MEG’S DORSAL FIN STOPS in the water, like it just figured out it’s been duped.

It violently spins around and heads straight for DJ, cutting through the ocean like a Miter saw.

EXT. OCEAN - SURFACE LEVEL

WIDER - on DJ as he pushes forward. Over his shoulder, we begin to see the massive dorsal fin, rising into frame as it gets closer. If DJ looks back, he’s dead.

EXT. OCEAN - BELOW SURFACE

A TRAILER SHOT - The tiny silhouette of the man... And the incredible scale of the monster that’s about to catch him.

EXT. OCEAN SURFACE

CLOSE ON DJ - Head down. Desperate.

CLOSE ON THE MEG - mouth opening wide for feeding...

104.

INT./EXT. LOADING DOCK - SOUTH SIDE OF MANA ONE

In one fluid motion, DJ swings himself up onto the deck, then rolls as far away from the water as he can get so when -- SLAM -- THE MEG RAMS THE SIDE OF THE LOADING AREA -- he remains safely out of reach.

EXT. MAIN PLATFORM - NORTH SIDE OF MANA ONE

Fan lets a scram of celebration. He made it. He made it!!

INT./EXT. LOADING DOCK - SOUTH SIDE OF MANA ONE

DJ, lying flat on his back, speaks to Fan via his ear-piece/mic.

DJ (MIC)You might want to take the stairs.

CUT TO:

INT. STORAGE FACILITY - 3OO METERS BELOW THE SURFACE - DAY

CLOSE ON - A PAIR OF HANDS - as they stack small SEMTEX PLASTIQUE (explosive) BRICKS into the shape of a Mayan pyramid.

CLOSE ON - THE SAME HANDS - now securing the pyramid with strategic strips of duct tape.

CLOSE ON - THE SAME HANDS - as they connect a small IMPACT PLATE TO THE TOP of the creation.

PULL BACK TO REVEAL - Suyin watching Jonas finish his work.

JONAS(off her look)

My ex-wife always said I was good at blowing things up.

Jonas and Suyin load the bomb into a BACKPACK. Bomb safely inside, Jonas zips up the pack before Suyin carefully puts it on his back. She waits for him to start walking.

JONAS(I have a bomb on my back)

You should go in front of me.

Suyin nods, good point. As she starts for the Air-Lock, SOMETHING ON THE SUPPLY SHELF catches Jonas’s eye.

Hand Flares. He thinks a moment. Then takes two.

105.

JONAS (MIC)How’s it going up there, Mac?

INT/EXT. MANA ONE - POWER STATION - DAY

MAC’S SWEAT DRENCHED EYES focus on the breaker panel with eager anticipation. He slams down the central switch and...BOOM!!! An explosion of sparks sends him reeling and almost off the edge of the power station. He’s blown the fuse board.

MAC (MIC)Oh, it’s going great.

He opens up the BOARD and begins to remove a fuse with his FINGERS...

INT. DIVE PLATFORM - DAY

While FAN’S FINGERS FLY across the keys of a LAPTOP.

ON SCREEN we see: RSV-NAVIGATION CONTROLS - LINKING... LINKING... CONNECTED.

BEGIN POWER UP SEQUENCE...

Machine-sounds begin to fill the air behind Fan. Their source, THE UNMANNED SUBMERSIBLE, comes into view as DJ brings it out of Dimitri’s lab, pulling it along an overhead conveyor belt.

FAN (MIC)Jonas, we’re one minute to launch.

EXT. SEA-FLOOR - STORAGE FACILITY - CONTINUED

Jonas and Suyin, just visible in the gloaming, walk clear of the storage facility and look up at the DARK MANA-ONE.

FAN (RADIO)Camera range is limited. So you’ll have to guide me when I get close.

INT MANA ONE - POWER CONTROL ROOM - CONTINUED

Mac is now at the main control board for the entire power station. FLIP - FLIP - FLIP... He powers up the Main Bus, and for a moment it looks like it will work until-

BOOM! Again. Something goes wrong. This time forcing MAC to duck down for cover UNDER THE DESK.

106.

While down there he sees an OPEN DRAWER. In it, is a small box labeled, “in case of emergency”. He opens the box and finds a bottle of 1942 Don Julio tequila. He stares at it.

FAN (RADIO)RSV launched...

INT. DIVE PLATFORM - VIEW FROM UNDERWATER

THE UNMANNED SUB descends RIGHT AT US... It passes by CAMERA... It’s TOW-LINE growing taut...

INT. DIVE PLATFORM - CONTINUED

DJ watches as a BOT now follows the sub into the depths below. Next to him, FAN works the sub’s controls, which are linked to a LAPTOP that gives her a view from its NOSE CAM.

FAN (MIC)Bot clear and coming down to you.

EXT. SEA-FLOOR - STORAGE FACILITY - CONTINUED

Jonas and Suyin, standing there like decorations in an aquarium, exposed and doing their best to stay motionless...

SUYIN (MIC)Any sign of our friend?

EXT. MANA-ONE - DIVE PLATFORM - DAY

Zhang scans the water around the platform.

ZHANG (MIC)She’s not up here.


CLOSE ON THE MONITOR - showing the way ahead for the submersible.

CLOSE ON FAN’S THUMBS - as she adjusts for currents.

CLOSE ON THE DEPTH READ-OUT - now clicking past 150 meters.

EXT. SEA-FLOOR - CONTINUED

Like tumbleweeds blowing across a ghost town at high-noon, STRANGE CLUMPS of PLANT LIFE roll by JONAS and SUYIN’S FEET.

FAN (RADIO - STATIC)That’s 150. You should see it any second now...

107.

JONAS AND SUYIN - STRAINING THEIR EYES to look above them. But it’s nearly impossible with the MANA-ONE still dark.

INT MANA ONE - POWER CONTROL ROOM - CONTINUED

CLOSE ON - MAC - as finishes a re-patch and, with an exhale, POWERS IT UP. FLIP - FLIP - FLIP... Before he throws the final switch he takes a ceremonial ‘good luck’ sip of the tequila, puts the bottle down and then.... FLIP...

No explosion... No boom....

Just a SERIES of GREEN LIGHTS COMING ON.


All the power comes back on in the abandoned DCC. We watch as the INTERNAL PRESSURE GAUGES return to NORMAL.

EXT. MANA-ONE

External lights go on. Zhang smiles at Meiying. Good news.


Jonas and Suyin watch as the MANA-ONE blossoms to life. It’s like being at the foot of the Eifel tower at night.

And thanks to the light they can now see the SUBMERSIBLE AND THE BOT - high above them - but making progress.

JONAS (MIC)RSV in sight...

But his voice TRAILS OFF because suddenly the SUB and the BOT vanishes in A SHADOW.


PFFFFFT! - STATIC replaces the picture from submersible’s nose cam. The RSV stops responding to controls...

FANWhat the...?


Gradually, the shadow clears... And suddenly Jonas and Suyin are looking at THE BOT -- no longer tethered to anything -- dropping like a ROCK -- right down on top of them!

JONAS (MIC)LOOK OUT!

108.

JONAS pushes SUYIN to cover behind rocky coral as -- SMASH-- THE BOT slams into the sea-floor, sending debris flying.

For a minute, we can’t see anything through the all the SAND that’s been kicked up by impact.

ZHANG (RADIO)Jonas, come in! Jonas, Suyin!

Then the SAND clears. Jonas and Suyin are okay. But their plan literally lies in tatters all around their feet.

JONAS (MIC)Fan, this is the moment you tell me Dimitri made two of those things.


Fan stares at her controls, still trying to re-establish contact with the machine. DJ puts his hand on her shoulder.

DJ (MIC)That’s a negative, Jonas.

EXT. MANA-ONE - DAY

Mac, who has joined Zhang and Meiying, looks at Zhang.

MAC(in disbelief)

There has to be another way.


Jonas has another way. He exhales.

JONAS (MIC)Okay, then. DJ and Fan get to the Zodiac. As soon as Suyin surfaces, you load up and get as far away from here as you can.

SUYIN (MIC)What are you doing?

Jonas shows her the hand flares.

JONAS (MIC)Back-up plan. I use these to lure it to the O-level, we know how much it likes smashing that place up.

SUYIN (MIC)That’s a suicide mission.

109.

JONAS (MIC)Not necessarily. It is, however, a solo mission so... Dr. Zhang, you’re clear to bring Suyin up...

SUYIN (MIC)No...

EXT. MANA-ONE - DAY

DJ and Fan have joined Mac, Zhang, and Meiying.

JONAS (RADIO)Dr. Zhang, I repeat, bring Suyin up...

ZHANG (MIC)Jonas, let’s think a moment--

JONAS (RADIO)Dammit, it’s this or we all lose. Now bring your daughter back to her daughter, am I clear?


Suyin shakes her head.

SUYIN (MIC)No, we’re in this together...

She reaches out with a tether hook - hoping to connect Jonas’s suit to hers but just before she can...

She is pulled away. She’s being pulled up.

EXT. MANA-ONE - DAY

Mac has thrown the lever himself.

SUYIN (MIC)I’m cutting loose!


She can still see Jonas - he looks at her.

JONAS (MIC)Please don’t.

The distance between them growing... The flickering lights of the Mana-One revealing the sadness in Suyin’s eyes...

Then she disappears into the haze.

110.

EXT. MANA-ONE - 320 METERS DOWN

Jonas approaches an emergency airlock at the base. He touches the keypad. It lights up.

JONAS (MIC)Mac. I forgot to say - great job with the power. Not that I ever doubted you.

EXT. MANA-ONE - DOCK - DAY

Mac smiles at the joke. Behind him, the group cautiously boards the lone Zodiac tied to what’s left of the dock.

JONAS (RADIO)Okay, maybe I did...

MAC (MIC)So, a back-up plan, huh?

INT. MANA-ONE - EMERGENCY STAIRWELL - SAME

Jonas, free from his suit, climbs a seemingly endless ladder, backpack still on.

INT. MANA-ONE - THE O-LEVEL - CONTINUED

Jonas emerges from a hatch on the backside of the Elevator shaft. He walks around so he can see ALL THREE REMAINING SPOKES - AND THE RIM THAT IS ATTACHED TO THEM ALL.

JONAS (MIC)You just be ready to get out of here when I tell you.

He presses the elevator button. Waits and then - ding. It arrives. He steps inside, presses the button for the surface, then WEDGES the door so it doesn’t go anywhere.

THEN JONAS TURNS AND WALKS DOWN THE CENTER SPOKE

He’s heading towards the rim, appreciating the magnificent structure this used to be.

JONAS (MIC)Dr. Zhang, I don’t know what kind of security deposit you put down on this place, but I don’t think you’re getting it back.

ZHANG (RADIO)Whatever it takes, Jonas....

111.

EXT. MANA-ONE - DOCK

FAN unties the bow, ZHANG the stern. Everyone is on board, including -- SUYIN, who surprises Jonas when she chimes in:

SUYIN (MIC)Just make sure you get back up here.


Jonas, pleased Suyin has said this. Happy to hear her voice.

JONAS (MIC)Okay... Thirty seconds.

EXT. MANA-ONE - DOCK - CONTINUED

The ZODIAC’s engine roars to life.

EXT. 300 METERS DOWN - THE OCEAN - SAME

The noise of the ZODIAC is more of a low vibration down here... One the MEG turns towards...

It begins its ascent but then...

TWINKLING RED-LIGHTS catch its attention.

It’s Jonas... In the O-Level...

JONAS (V.O - RADIO)Twenty seconds...


Jonas has struck the two flares and he’s waving them in his hands... Waiting... Hoping to see the MEG coming for him.

JONASCome on... Come on...

The MEG turns -- and comes straight towards him. JONAS holds his ground... And holds it... And holds it... Then--

JONAS (MIC) Ten seconds. Go!

Jonas tosses the flares so that they will land close to the backpack. As they arc high in the air, he turns and sprints FOR THE ELEVATOR...

112.


The ZODIAC puts some distance between itself and the station.

JONAS (RADIO)Five seconds... Four...

INT. ELEVATOR - SAME

Jonas runs into the Elevator and pulls out the wedge. The doors close, and the ELEVATOR QUICKLY BEGINS TO RISE.

JONAS (MIC)(smiling)

...Three... two...

THAT’S WHEN ALL THE POWER GOES OUT - INCLUDING THE POWER FOR THE ELEVATOR - BRINGING EVERYTHING TO A GRINDING HALT.

So much for his escape.

EXT. OCEAN - ZODIAC - SAME

The passengers see the station power down. Grim reality sets in. They know that can’t be good for his plan.


For a moment Jonas just sits there in the darkness. Then he sees something. Gum. He stakes a stick as he finishes the countdown--

JONAS--One.

INT. MANA-ONE - THE O-LEVEL - SAME

SMASH. The glass of the center spoke gives way to the power of the MEG. And the MEG plows right into the backpack.

BLAM!

An explosive force of more than a 1000 sticks of dynamite is released.

FROM SEVERAL ANGLES - INSIDE AND OUTSIDE

The MEG dies in three stages that play out in less than 1/100th of a second. First, the BLAST WAVE liquefies the cartilage that makes up its body, essentially turning into a giant shark-suited goo. Then, the HEAT super cooks the skin into a black charcoal. Finally, the glass shards pierce the carcass, VAPORIZING it into a cloud of tissue and blood that leaves no mistake - THE MEG IS NO MORE.

113.


The explosion, moving faster than sound, hits the elevator BEFORE the sound does. So for a dizzying moment, the elevator is rocketed skyward, a bullet in a silent barrel.

THEN COMES THE DEAFENING ROAR

A JET OF FIRE - shoots through the seams of the rapidly rising rocket lift. Suddenly Jonas thinks it’s walls are made of flame. Then FLAMES obscure our view of him.


From the Zodiac, the Mana-One looks like a volcano. JETS OF FIRE erupt randomly from the station, followed by a DEAFENING BLAST that causes the team to duck and cover.

INT. ELEVATOR - CONTINUED

Still shooting towards the surface, flames swirling. Then, when the pressure has reached its crescendo, THE ELEVATOR ITSELF DISINTEGRATES, and, like a cocoon that’s revealed its cargo, it releases Jonas into the OCEAN.

Floating in and out of consciousness, rising towards the light, the last thing JONAS sees is a hazy image of THE BABY HUMPBACK WHALE. It’s safe. Then he passes out and we...

FADE TO BLACK:

EXT. OCEAN - DAY

The Zodiac navigates the seas around what’s left of the Mana-One. They’ve been searching for ten minutes with no sign. Expressions are grave.

It’s Suyin who sees him.

SUYINThere!

JONAS is lying, half in the water, half clinging to a floating remnant of the Mana-One. But he’s not moving. The crew agonizes, waiting for a sign... They get it when Jonas, without raising his head, lifts a weary arm skyward and gives them a THUMBS UP.

CUT TO:

EXT. OUTDOOR PLAZA - DIVE CENTER AT TIANJIN - DAY

A reverent crowd sits, listening to the end of a MEMORIAL SERVICE/CELEBRATION OF LIFE. SUYIN stands at a dais, in

114.

front of the MEMORIAL ITSELF, a beautiful, white marble, free-standing wall that is shaped like a WAVE. On the wall, etched tastefully, as if they were part of the wave, are the names and histories of Junjie, Carl, Luc, Francois, Heller, and Dimitri.

SUYIN, stunningly beautiful in her formal dress, turns to the final page of her dedication speech.

SUYIN(at the dais)

Advancing our understanding of life has always required great sacrifice. The world doesn’t give up her secrets easily...

OFF TO THE SIDE

JONAS, dashing in a suit. MAC, a little less so in his. FAN and DJ both looking cooler than everyone else in the place. ZHANG watches Suyin with great admiration.

MAC(quietly to Jonas)

She’s her father’s daughter all right.

SUYIN(at the dais)

My father’s dream, a dream shared by those we honor today, is that we come to appreciate the gift that is our oceans. Now, thanks to their efforts, the entire world knows that there is more to this gift than we dared imagine. And I see, in everyone’s eyes, the same excitement I once saw exclusively in my father’s. That is how I know the friends we lost will live forever.

(it hangs there)Thank you all very much.

Off the applause we CUT TO...

EXT. OUTDOOR PLAZA - DIVE CENTER AT TIANJIN - A LITTLE LATER

People milling about, congratulating Suyin who is with Zhang, Meiying, Jonas, and Mac. A passing waiter offers some crab cakes... Jonas shakes his head...

MEIYINGHe’s allergic.

115.

Mac takes a beat.

MACYou are? Is that ironic?

(as they laugh)And since when does Meiying know stuff about you that I don’t...

Mac’s voice trails off as he realizes Jonas and Suyin are TOGETHER.

MAC (CONT’D)Oh, uh, never mind--

MEIYINGTry to keep up, Mac.

That gets laughs. Mac is in the middle of a comeback when a US and a CHINESE NAVAL OFFICER interrupt the festivities.

CHINESE OFFICERExcuse me, Dr. Zhang, we have a situation and we’d like to talk to you.

ZHANGThis is a service for my friends, now is not--

US OFFICER--A deep-sea drilling platform tore open a dormant volcano this morning. It’s created a hole in the thermocline.

JONASHow big a hole?

CHINESE OFFICER(long beat)

It’s the size of Manhattan.

WIDER

We watch as an animated conversation ensues, and then all of them hurry out through the crowd, pausing to grab FAN and DJ, and then disappearing from our view behind the wave wall.

THE END

116.

meg by dean georgaris...feb 26, 2015 · int. augusta-westland aw101 helicopter - day the voice...

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